


Youth

by Lucy_Mariogld



Series: The Pinetree Trilogy. [2]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Death, Death, Demons, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Loss, M/M, Magic, Moving On, Murder, Post-Weirdmageddon, Relationship Problems, Revolution, The Nightmare Realm (Gravity Falls)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2020-05-20 03:13:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 28
Words: 62,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19368787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucy_Mariogld/pseuds/Lucy_Mariogld
Summary: “Everything. I-I listened and I followed what Bill said. And I fell in love but it cost me so much. And then I just had to go shake his hand."It's been a year since Dipper Pines left Gravity Falls with his twin, leaving behind the statue of Bill. The Pines Twins return, Dipper still unable to cope with the grief of losing the one he loved.And then he accidentally causes something that will leave everyone speechless. Who knew making a deal with a demon was bad? Who knew being one was worse?





	1. Returning To Once They Came.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N The first chapter of the second entry into the Pinetree Trilogy. Enjoy! This is being transferred from my Fanfiction.net account until the twenty-third chapter.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Pines twins return for another summer in the weirdest town in history.

Dipper Pines sucked in a deep breath as he stepped off the bus. His feet crunched against the pine needles and leaves on the ground. He looked up to see Mabel instantly rushing over and grabbing their two great uncles into a tight hug, Waddles follow intently behind. “Hey, Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford.” He said, walking over to the two of them. 

“How was your year, kids?” Stan asked, picking up Mabel’s suitcase. 

“Good! I accidentally ate scratch and sniff stickers and had to go to the hospital at one point!” His sister shouted, already waving her arms around in a funny fashion. Stan and Ford both laugh, Stan walking with Mabel as they all head towards the shack. Stanford pulls back, walking beside Dipper. 

“How have you been, Dipper?” Ford said, placing a hand on the teenager’s shoulder. 

“Good. Good yeah. Piedmont isn’t exactly that supernatural. Apparently, Weridmagdon got out to the entire country. So it wasn’t exactly a surprise when our parents started to ask us questions about what happened.” He rambled, gripping tightly onto his journal which was now slightly worn. “It also turns out that dating the demon who started it isn’t exactly good for your reputation. Mom insisted I tell her and Dad everything before returning to school. And when I went to school I wasn’t exactly liked either.” The was a small frown on the young boy’s face. “Mom wasn’t exactly upset when I told her, nor was Dad. They were just confused about why it had happened. I’m not gay or anything… but I don’t think I’d be able to see myself with a girl in the future either.”

“Dipper, it’s okay to be confused. That’s how we discover new things after all.” Ford chuckled, patting him on the back. 

“Anyway, how have your studies been going, Grunkle Ford?” 

“Great. Seems those rifts we were sealed up before the end of summer last year caused a lot more anomalies than I expected.” They had reached the Mystery Shack, the old shack still the same as they had left it. Dipper lifted his bag higher up, stepping onto the porch as Stan swung the door open. Mabel and Dipper instantly ran upstairs, placing their luggage onto the ground beside their ever-familiar beds. Mabel flopped onto her old bed, smiling as Dipper placed his journal down on the table in between the two beds. He let loose a sigh, gripping onto the necklace he always wore. 

“You going to go see him?” His sister asked, hanging upside down on her bed while glancing at him. He bit his lip, unsure how to respond.  

“Yeah. It’s been a while since I saw his statue.” He answered, rising from his spot. “I’ll be back later. Tell Grunkle Stan and Great Uncle Ford that I went out if they ask.” Dipper ran down the stairs without waiting for his sister’s response. 

He flew out of the door as he ran into the forest, panting as he reached the clearing where he stayed. Dipper hesitated at the border of trees, glancing at the statue in front of him. He slowly walked forward, kneeling in the grass. He grazed a hand across the rough stone of the statue. He picked up the hat that lay in front of it, covered in a layer of moss but otherwise unharmed despite being exposed to the elements for almost a year. He placed the familiar blue and white hat atop his head, a faint smile on his lips. “Hey, Bill. How have you been? It’s been a while, hasn’t it? School has been terrible. Everyone knows Weirdmagdon happened and that we’d been together. The government even showed up one day to question me and Mabel about it. They seemed to have stopped after a while though. I still really miss you. Mabel keeps saying I should move on and find someone else but I dunno. What would you do?”

He was crying now, tears running down his cheeks. He rose from his spot, tracing a hand across Bill’s stone one. “I wish I could talk to you properly again. I’d do anything to just see you again, Bill.” Suddenly, the stone hand grasped onto his own, trapping it in a tight grip. “What?!” Dipper spluttered out, startled by it. His hand was then enveloped in light blue flames as they began to lick up his arm. As quickly as it had happened, the flames stopped, a sharp pain striking Dipper in the wrist as the hand let go of his own. Dipper fell backwards, landing on the ground with a thump. His hat flew sideways, the teenager’s eyes wild with slight fear and confusion. He looked down at his wrist and hissed in pain as he touched it. He discovered that there were strange marks burnt into his skin, charcoal black as his skin reacted to it. He jolted up from his spot, picking his hat back up and running back to the shack. When he entered, Mabel and Stan were both sitting in front of the TV, Waddles beside Mabel as she knitted a sweater for the pig. “G-Grunkle Stan!” Dipper shouted out, gaining their attention. Dipper was gripping his wrist tightly as his grunkle rose from his seat. 

“What’s wrong, kid?” Stan asked. Dipper thrust his arm forward, revealing the burn. Stan let loose a visible grimace. “How’d you do that?”

“There was a small forest fire, I put it out though.” He lied, clenching his teeth shut. Stan sighed, dragging him into the kitchen as the older man pulled out the first aid kit and rummaged through it. He sat down in one of the chairs as Stanley pulled out the required equipment and applied to the burn around his wrist. 

“Don’t do anything dumb like that again okay, kid?” Dipper nodded, looking over at his sister who stood in the doorway. She was looking at him with a smirk, clearly aware of his lie. 

“Yeah okay, Grunkle Stan.” He rubbed his fingers over the bandage as Stan left the kitchen. Mabel walked forward, sitting down in another chair. 

“I know you lied, Dip’n’dot. What really happened?” His sister poked him in the shoulder. 

“Nothing. Seriously Mabes, nothing happened.” He snapped, jerking up from his spot. It was already getting late as the teenager walked up the stairs. He stopped at the top, looking at the triangular window that was still there, the single eye in the centre. He glanced down at his wrist. “What was that?” He continued to his room a second later, instantly going to sleep on his bed. He didn’t even hear the calls for dinner.

* * *

**Vlawb ghjuhhv wkdw frph lq wkuhhv.  
Zdwfkhv iurp zlwklq elufk wuhhv.**


	2. The Burning Truth.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth is difficult to speak aloud sometimes.

Dipper lifted the jar up, glancing at the odd creature inside. “Grunkle Ford? What is this thing?” He stood in the basement, labcoat dangling off of his shoulders, his right wrist still bandaged thickly.  

“I’m not quite sure myself.” Ford chuckled as he walked over to Dipper, adjusting his glasses as he spoke. The older man glanced down at Dipper’s bandaged limb as the teenager rotated the jar around. “What happened to your wrist?” 

The question came so suddenly, Dipper almost dropping the sample to the ground as his face flushed red. “N-Nothing. Just a small forest fire yesterday. Nothing big, only a small spark.” He was lying through his teeth. He placed the jarred specimen onto the table nearby. Suddenly, as he was turning back to face Ford, the older man grabbed him by the wrist, holding it up as he tore away the bandages. “Hey!” They unravelled, falling to the ground. Ford’s eye darted back and forth between the marks on the boy’s skin and then to his face. His great uncle had a look of anger and concern across his worn face.

“Tell me the truth about where you got that burn mark, Dipper!” Ford shouted, louder than he probably intended. Dipper let loose a sigh, pulling up a nearby stool, Ford doing the same.  

He held out his right arm, showing his wrist as he pointed at the marks. “I went to Bill’s statue. To visit him, you know? While I was talking, I might of grabbing his hand. Then my hand got stuck to the statue and there were blue flames. When it stopped, I was left with these burn marks.” He rapidly explained. There was a long silence before any of them spoke, Ford suddenly rising from his spot. 

“They’re demon runes.” Ford finally stated, rifling through his desk in search of something. He was turned away from Dipper completely. When he turned around, a notebook was firmly grasped in his hand. “I don’t know how it has happened but we’re going to need to translate these marks.” Dipper looked at the notebook that the older man was holding in front of him, gripping onto it a second later. He looked at the page that was open to find runes organised into an alphabet, all scrawled across the page in ink. He bit down on his lip, shutting the notebook closed. 

“Grunkle Ford. I-I think I’d like to do this myself. Maybe Bill left me a message that was only meant for me or something?” Dipper spluttered out. Ford let loose a heavy sigh before speaking. 

“Alright. Just be careful, okay?” 

Dipper’s mouth grew into a wide smile. The teenager hugging the notebook closely before he pulled off his labcoat. The coat fell to the ground as he rushed to the elevator, leaving behind a chuckling Stanford. He smashed the button to go up, filled with a new found buzz at the prospect to unveil a mystery. He ran out of the secret passageway, heading up the stairs. He entered his and Mabel’s bedroom, grabbing pens and his journal before he exited the room. 

 He returned to the small nook with the triangular window that reminded him of Bill so much. He flipped open the notebook, finding that page with the runic alphabet on it again. He placed it on one side, his open journal on the other end. He glanced at the page beside the blank one for a second. It was completely covered in drawings of triangles, a single dot in each centre. Dipper honestly couldn’t remember drawing that. He brushed his thoughts aside and stared down at his wrist. He wrote down each translated letter as he went. First an ‘ _A_ ’, then a dash and then an ‘ _X_ ’. Eventually, an entire paragraph of translated runes had been formed, Dipper writing down the final letter. He began to read it aloud. “ _‘A-X-O-L-O-T-L, my time had come to burn. I have bound myself to this being, invoking the ancient power that I may return.’_ What does-” He was cut off when the runes on his wrist glowed a bright white, bathing Dipper in a white glow. He closed his eyes slightly, opening them once the light dissipated. When he opened them, he was startled by the creature in front of him. A small pink axolotl was hovering inches from his face, floating. “What the heck?!” Dipper spluttered out, recoiling back as he swatted his hand forward. It didn’t seem to connect to the axolotl, rather, his hand just passed through it.

“Do not be afraid, mortal. I know why you have summoned me. Cipher does have poor choices in the beings he ties himself to yet I sense nothing but good intentions from you.” It spoke. Dipper was too shocked to react as his mind raced to understand. He had seen many supernatural things but he had never seen a creature like this. 

“I’m dreaming. I must be dreaming. Unless I’m going insane.” He spoke to himself, clutching his hair in frustration. 

“The question is, do you truly wish for Cipher to return?” The lizard-like creature asked, interrupting Dipper’s thoughts.

 “W-What?” Dipper stuttered, snapping back to reality. “You mean there’s a way to bring him back?” He lurched forward, staring intently at the creature. 

“Only if he can redeem himself, yes.” The Axolotl replied, swishing its tail around. “Do you truly wish for Cipher to return?” What would happen? Would he try something again? Can I redeem him? Those thoughts rushed through Dipper’s mind like lighting. 

“Yes. I’ll do anything to get him back! I will redeem him!” Dipper shouted, rising to his feet. 

“Very well, Dipper Pines.” The Axolotl said before there was another bright flash of light. Dipper snapped his eye open, finding himself face first in his notes. Had he fallen asleep? It was possible seeing as it was dark outside now. He jolted from his spot, letting loose a yawn. He darted downstairs, walking into the kitchen. All of his family members were gathered around the small table in the room, Stan being an exception. Stanley was by the stove, cooking something in a frying pan. Dipper sat down at the table, Mabel instantly assaulting him with her re-telling of her day with Candy and Grenda. The teen let loose a laugh before Ford spoke up.

“Have you figure out that cipher yet, Dipper?” Ford asked, looking up from the newspaper he was reading. Mabel cocked her head to the side in confusion.  

“What cipher?” 

“Nothing, Mabel. Why don’t you go and help Stanley.” The older man suggested, pointing at Stan who was scrapping a spoon across the pan, the smell of burnt food in the air.

“Okie-Dokie!” Mabel jolted from her seat, rushing over to help Stan with dinner. 

“So, did you figure them out?” Ford asked again. Dipper glanced down at his exposed wrist, the runes imprinted in his skin, still charcoal black. He looked back up, a sheepish smile on his face.

“Not yet.” He lied, silence following. They ate, listening to Mabel’s stories until it became too late.

/(I)\

Dipper sat on his bed, flicking through the same notebook that Ford had given him. Suddenly, his right arm was pulled upwards. “Hey!” He shouted in protest. He turned to see his sister’s brown eyes clouded in worry. “Mabel! What are you-”

“Doing? What are you doing taking your bandages off, bro-bro?!” She interrupted, glaring at him as she pointed downwards at the mark in his skin. Dipper knew Mabel was fuming but brushed it aside. 

“It didn’t take them off!” He snapped, jerking his arm away yet her grip was too strong and his arm remained in his sister’s grip. 

“I’ll ask what I asked yesterday. What really happened?” Mabel pressed, flinging his arm away. Dipper looked at his arm before looking back up to his sister. 

“I visited Bill’s Statue.” He began to explain.

* * *

**Vdz klv rzq glphqvlrq exuq.  
Plvvhv krph dqg fdq'w uhwxuq.**


	3. The Loss Of Innocence.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blood is thicker than water.

“And that brings us up to now.” He concluded, flopping onto his pillow. 

“Geez. I hope you figure that code thingy out soon, Dipper.” Mabel said with a yawn, curling up on her own bed as she pulled the sheets over her body. Dipper did the same, staring up at the ceiling for a moment while thinking. He had lied to his sister about the axolotl and the whole thing about Bill returning. He didn’t exactly want Bill to return, especially after what he had to deal with after Weirdmageddon. Then why did he agree to it? Dipper flicked the light off before drifting off to sleep.

/(I)\

Dipper walked to the bathroom, Mabel already downstairs. He opened the door slowly, shutting it behind himself as he stretched once more. He stumbled to the mirror, picking up his toothbrush and the toothpaste before squeezing out the mint mixture onto the brush. He stuck it in his mouth, glancing up at the mirror a second later. He let out a high-pitched scream. “WHAT THE HELL!?” He screamed, recoiling in horror. One of his eyes was coloured a pale yellow, his pupil a single black slit. Blood began to seep from his eye, the liquid hurting his iris. Mabel burst into the bathroom, the door slamming against the wall behind it. 

“Dipper?! What’s wrong?” She asked, panicked. He pointed at his eye, shaking. He was too startled and confused. He felt Mabel grabbing his arm, his sister dragging him down the corridor and into the living room. “GRUNKLE STAN! GRUNKLE FORD!” She shouted, the two old men jolting from their spot at the table nearby. Dipper clutched onto his bleeding eye, the other one leaking tears as Mabel supported him. Ford rushed over and kneeled down to Dipper’s level. He jerked the teen’s hand away as gently as he could. The old scientist pulled back in shock at seeing the slitted eye. Stanford froze up in fear, eyes wide at the boy in front of him. 

“Bill…” Ford whispered, Stan looking at Dipper and Ford with confusion. 

“It hurts, Grunkle Ford.” Dipper sobbed out. “What’s happening?!” 

“I don’t know! Stanley, get a towel!” Ford ordered, turning to look at his brother. Stan rushed out of the room, Mabel silently holding her brother up. Stan ran back in a minute later, a faded and damp towel in hand. He shoved it into his twin’s hand who dabbed it against Dipper’s eye as the teen hissed at the pain. “You’re coming with me,” Ford stated when it was clean of blood, the old man grabbing Dipper by the arm as he dragged him towards the vending machine. Stan let his brother go, Mabel wiping up the blood that had dripped onto the floor. 

/(I)\

They went down the secret passageway, the elevator going to the second level as Ford opened the door. Dipper was still clutching his eye, it no longer bleeding. He sat down on a stool. Ford grabbed a small torch from nearby, shining it into Dipper’s eye. “Ah! That’s bright!” Dipper shouted, flinching away. 

“What did you do?!” Ford spat, demanding answers. Dipper flinched back.  

“I… I found out what the runes said. An axolotl-” Dipper began.

The Axolotl? He met the Axolotl, no. Ford frantically thought. A-X-O-L-O-T-L, my time has come to burn. I invoke the ancient power that I may return. No! No. No. No. Those words flashed through Ford's mind as he continued to freeze up.

“It asked if I wanted Bill to return… I said yes… “ Dipper said between sobs, his tears mixing with the dried blood on his face. The colour drained from Ford’s face completely. Dipper opened his mouth to speak but he rapidly shut it. He let loose a scream, Ford snapping back to reality and rushing back over to Dipper. Dipper snapped his eyes close, face scrunched in pain.

“Dipper?! What’s wrong?!” Stanford asked, worry coating his voice.

“My head. It hurts… “ He spoke through clenched teeth. Ford didn’t know what to do, the young boy in front of him convulsing in pain. Ford whipped around to his desk, opening a drawer and quickly digging through it. He pulled out a needle that was filled with a clear liquid. He tapped it once to removed any air bubbles before rushing over to Dipper who was now on the ground. He lent down, gently taking the teen’s arm. 

“Dipper. You need to stay calm. I’m going to inject you with this, it will stop the pain, trust me.” Ford softly spoke, lowering the needle towards Dipper. He interested the needle, slipping the drug into the boy’s bloodstream. Dipper slowly stopped moving, his breathing slowing to a normal pace as his eyes shuttered close. Carefully, Stanford lifted his great-nephew up and carried him towards the elevator. What did Dipper do this time? Ford thought as he pressed the button to go up, the door snapping closed. He went up the elevator, exiting the secret passageway to find his brother and Mabel waiting in the gift shop. Stan was still undressed, the sign on the door still saying that the shack was closed. Mabel looked at Ford with concern, concern for her twin.  

“Is Dipper okay?” She meekly asked, looking at Dipper’s sleeping form. 

“I had to sedate him,” Ford stated, a sudden look of shock appearing on Stan’s face. 

“You did what?! Sixer, I swear to god-” The old man began to yell but Ford cut him off.

“Bill’s coming back.” The colour drained from their faces, Mabel’s hands shaking.

“W-What did you say, Grunkle Ford?” Mabel asked again, her voice wavering as she spoke. Ford looked at her with concern, still carrying Dipper in his arms. 

“Bill is coming back. And not in a good way.” Ford added, looking down at Dipper’s sleeping form. Mabel let loose a gasp, recoiling and bumping into a display behind her. 

“Y-You mean?” She sputtered out. She awkwardly began to pick up the fallen boxes as carefully as she could.

“Bill’s in the kid?!” Stan shouted, helping Mabel pick up her mess. Ford let loose what could have been a sigh but no one really knew at this point. 

“Yes and I think he’s trying something. We can’t let him take over Dipper. We don’t know what he could do if he did that.” The old scientist explained. Dipper let loose a groan, Ford freezing at the teen in his arms stirred before falling back asleep. “I’ll take him upstairs before we continue this discussion.” Stan nodded grimly as Ford exited the gift shop and walking through the living room. He arrived at the staircase a moment later before going upstairs. He opened the attic door with his foot, shutting it behind himself as he entered. He gently lowered Dipper onto the boy’s bed, pulling the covers neatly over his body. Ford let loose his own yawn, the bags under his eye revealing a lot more than it should have. Ford glanced down at Dipper’s wrist with worry and concern crossing his worn face. “What are you planning, Cipher?” Stanford Pines whispered to himself.

* * *

 


	4. Bleeding Nose, Lost Hope.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope can be lost quicker than it can be gained. Control can be lost as easily.

Dipper felt something scraping it’s long tongue across his forehead, the feeling of what could have been saliva coating his face. Dipper jerked his eyes open to find Waddles licking his face. He shoved the pig off of him with a grunt before wiping his face of the liquid. “Ah! Waddles!” He chuckled, looking at the pig with a faint smile. His smile fell when he looked out the window, discovering that it was night again. What had happened? Dipper didn’t quite remember. And then it clicked, Ford, the lab and the searing headache he had gained. He raised a hand towards his right eye and pulled back when he made contact. There were marks around his eye, he could feel it. 

He rose from his bed, his still shoed feet hitting the ground as he walked towards the light switch. He flicked it on, the lights buzzing on as he walked towards the upright mirror that sat in the room. He recoiled in fright when he saw his reflection. His eye was still yellow and slitted, a faint imprint of a triangle surrounding it. It reminded him of Bill. Dipper didn’t know where he stood with that dream demon. He missed him, yes, but Bill had caused him a lot of things after Weirdmageddon. When someone leaked Weirdmageddon to the rest of the world through the internet, it blew up in his face more than anything. 

/(I)\

“Dipper! You did what?!” Dipper looked up from the book on his lap at his mother, who was red with anger. 

“What are you talking about, Mom?” He asked, pulling Journal 3 close. His mother turning on the living room TV, the news appearing. ‘ _According to leaks from a town called Gravity Falls, Oregan, during the summer break, a contained apocalypse called Weirdmageddon broke out in the small town.-_ ’ The female news reporter spoke. Dipper paled. 

“Nothing happened. It was just a-” Dipper began. ‘- _Reports state that it was started with a young boy known as Dipper Pines-_ ’ The reporter continued, cutting off Dipper as he struggled to come up with something. 

“Nothing?! They’re saying you started an apocalypse, Dipper Pines!” His mother snapped. “When your father gets home from work you and your sister are telling us what happened when you were at your Great Uncle Stan’s house!” He knew there was no arguing with her. ‘- _Smashed an object known as the rift, causing a supposed dream demon known as Bill Cipher to escape and wreak havoc on the small town. Our sources say it indeed happened despite-’_. She moved forward and snatched the journal out of his hands. 

“Hey! Mom, that’s important!” He shouted as she looked down at the page he was reading. She let loose a gasp. ‘- _The dream demon took over the town and froze many of its residents into stone, declaring that he was going to turn this dimension into a never-ending party. A witness says that Dipper Pines was also seen with the demon and that the demon froze a local man into gold when he fought back-’_

“Mason Pines! How dare you read this!” His mother snapped, clearing angered by what he was reading as she used his real name. It wasn’t anything big, rather just a note Bill had left when he hijacked Dipper’s body. Dipper honestly didn’t think much about it, Bill didn’t go through with what he had planned anyway.

“Bill-” He began to explain the note, raising a hand as he spoke. ‘- _A local business known as the Mystery Shack was turned into a massive robot to fight against the demon. Our witness states that they travelled into the demon’s base of operations where they rescued the frozen townsfolk. Unfortunately Bill-’_  

“That demon! Of course! They’re saying you were with him! Dipper-” His mother was screaming now, drowning out the TV. 

“It wasn’t like that!” Another voice shouted from the doorway, Mabel appeared in the doorway, clinging onto Waddles. ‘- _Tapestries and the Pines-’_ “We really should tell her, Dip’n’dot.” She turned the TV off with the remote before sitting down beside Dipper. 

“Fine.” He mumbled under his breath before crossing his arm. He idly fiddled with the necklace around his neck. “I did start it. But I should really explain what happened before that.” 

/(I)\

Dipper tore the necklace off of his neck, chucking it onto his bed in a fury. Sure, his parents had sat down and listened but no one else bothered asking. At first, even the teachers had avoided him at school after hearing what had happened, asking Mabel if it was true. He had lost hope trying to win them over. Dipper sat down on the ground, raising his hands to his face. His parents didn’t want to send them back to Gravity Falls but of course, Mabel convinced them otherwise. There was a sudden knock on the door, jolting Dipper from his thoughts. Ford entered the room, the door slowly opening. “Hey Dipper, how’d you sleep? How’s your headache by the way?” Ford asked as Dipper rose from the floor. 

“I feel better now. There’s the imprint around my eye though.” He rubbed his eye softly, the mark not causing any pain. Ford moved forward, sitting on Mabel’s bed quietly. 

“It appeared after I sedated you. I’m not even sure myself what is happening to you. Dipper, what did those runes on your arm say. I need you to be honest with me.” Ford stated, rubbing the back of his neck. Dipper sighed, rummaging through the table nearby to find his journal. He passed it over to Ford who opened it onto the most recent page, nearly dropping it in surprise at what he saw. 

“Did you write this?!” Ford hissed, showing Dipper the page. Dipper felt the colour draining from his face, eyes wide in shock. He grasped onto the book, staring at the pages in front of him. ‘I’m back, Pinetree.’ was scrawled across the page, triangular drawings dotted around it. A drawing of Dipper in the centre of the page, a large triangle behind it. The figure was standing upright, shoulders and his head was titled. An insane smile across was covering his face as his yellow slitted eyes stayed in that perminate wide position. There were forks sticking out of his arms, Dipper looking in fear at the image in front of him. 

His heart pounded in his chest fast than a manotaur could run. His hands began to shake as he dropped the book onto the floor, sobs beginning to rise in his throat. Ford jolted from the bed, rushing over to the crouching Dipper who was curled up tightly in a ball. “N-N-No… No no. no…” Dipper sobbed out, clutching his hair tightly. 

“Dipper! Dipper, calm down! Please calm down! What’s wrong?!” Ford asked, panic coating his voice. He lowered a hand to Dipper’s should but the teen recoiling in fear, clutching himself tighter. Dipper held out a hand a second later. Ford pulled back at the sight of Dipper’s hand. His right arm was covered in blood, seeping from the runes around his wrist. Dipper raised his head, his nose bleeding also. He let loose a scream, jolting from the ground and wiping at the blood on his arm rapidly. 

“GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!” He screamed on repeat, trying to remove the blood from himself. Ford grabbed Dipper tightly into a hug as the teen sobbed and screamed as blood crusted around his nose. 

“Dipper! Calm-” Stanford Pines attempted to calm him down to no avail.

“GET THE HELL OFF OF ME SIXER!” Dipper snapped, trying to get out of Ford’s grip. Ford let go, startled by Dipper’s choice of words and change in emotions. Dipper stood there, hunched and breathing heavily. There was a faint smile tugging at the right side of his mouth, the slitted eye wild and wide. Dipper’s other eye was covered by his dangling hair, part of his birthmark appearing. “Well, well, well, and here I thought this day couldn’t get any better. Sixer can’t handle that I’m coming back, it’s hilarious!” Dipper spoke, clearing not himself. Ford pressed himself against the table, Dipper blocking the doorway. “YOU CAN’T HANDLE LITTLE PINETREE, CAN YOU?!” Dipper screamed as he advanced forward. 

“Dipper-”

“Isn’t here right now! It’s Bipper speaking, leave a message after the scream!” Dipper chuckled demonically, the blood crusting around his nose making him appear even more insane. Blood from his arm dripped onto the floor, splattering onto the paper littered there. “I missed being with him, Sixer. You had to ruin that didn’t ya?” He paused before letting loose a laugh. “Hahaha! It’s funny how dumb you are. You can’t stop what I have planned. Even though it’s harming Pinetree it will still be worth it.” Dipper continued to walk until they were face to face. “I’ll be watching you!” Dipper stated before pulling back. 

Dipper collapsed the ground, Ford catching him before he hit his head. Dipper’s eye flickered open, the teen letting loose a groan. “Ugh.. Grunkle Ford, what just happened?”  

“You uh... “ Ford glanced at Dipper and then the room around them. “Lost too much blood from your blood nose.” Ford lied, smiling.

“Oh… Geez… How much blood did I lose?” Dipper chuckled, faintly rising to his feet before stumbling back. 

“Woah! Steady there. You just lost quite a bit of blood. You need to rest again. I’ll ask Mabel to help clean this up. Do you think you could sleep by yourself?” Ford said, helping the shaking Dipper up. 

“Uh… I don’t think as long as I need. I’ll probably wake up before I get enough sleep.” Dipper mumbled, sitting down on his bed. The teen was pale, blood crusted everywhere and his hair a matted mess. He needed sleep more than anything. Ford pulled out a needle from his trench coat pocket, tapping it once.

“This will knock you out for eight hours, you alright with that, my boy?” The old scientist asked. Dipper nodded, letting loose a yawn. Ford slipped the needle into Dipper’s body, the boy slowly falling asleep. Ford pulled the sheet over Dipper’s body before exiting the attic. He entered the kitchen to find both Stanley and Mabel around the table, a jug of Mabel Juice in the centre.

“Is Dipper…?” Mabel asked but when she saw the blood splatter across Ford’s clothing she stifled a gasp. 

“What happened up there Sixer?! We heard yelling! And why are you covered in blood.” Stan yelled, slamming a fist against the table. “I’m tired of being kept out of things, Ford!” Ford pulled up a chair before sitting down.

“Let me explain before you panic, Stanley. Mabel, I need you to go upstairs to clean up the mess, can you do that for me, sweetie?” He asked, Mabel nodding before leaving the room with a bucket and a mop. “Don’t wake your brother!” Mabel let loose a laugh, climbing the staircase. Ford sighed, rubbing his eyes with a yawn. “He’s not himself. Bill’s clearly imprinted himself in Dipper and it isn’t good. He started bleeding when I was up there and then it was if something happened in his head. Lee, he was acting like Bill.”

“Geez. How so?” Stan sipped on his Pitt Cola, passing one over to Ford a second later. Ford clicked the soda open, taking a sip from it before answering. 

“He called me ‘Sixer’ for one. Bill is taking over, I just don’t know how to stop it.” Ford explained, desperately looking fiddling with his can.

“You’ll find a way, you always do, Ford.” Stan reassured him. Ford knew Stan was right but the question was, what way did he need to take?

* * *

 

**D gliihuhqw irup, d gliihuhqw wlph.**


	5. Bipper’s Return.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your past haunts you more than your future but what if your future is your past?

Dipper rose his head, glancing at the ceiling above him. He ran a hand across his face, cringing when he felt the blood crusted to his face.”Ugh. I need a shower.” Dipper grumbled to himself. He rose from his bed, his body feeling uncomfortably tired. He got up, stepping out of the room and walking downstairs to the bathroom. He turned on the sink, grabbing a towel silently as he began to clean the blood off of his face. He was already getting used to the slitted eye. Dipper dumped the now bloody towel onto the ground, stripping his dirty clothing as he piled it all on the floor. He stepped into the shower, turning on the faucet as warm water streamed down his back before going down the drain. He scrubbed the blood on his arm off, gritting his teeth as the runes on his wrist stung from the soap.

He hummed a tune to himself as he cleaned the rest of his body. “We’ll meet again… don’t know where… don’t know when… hmmm. Where have I heard that before?” He mumbled the words out, thinking about it a second later. Dipper pulled the shampoo out, squeezing it into his hands. As he was rubbing it in, there was a sudden piercing feeling in his head and Dipper hunched over as he clutched his head in pain, the soap washing off almost instantly. His eyes went wide as blood dripped from his nose and landed on the wet ground below him. He stood there for a moment, watching as more blood dripped onto the floor. He abruptly turned the shower off, wrapping a towel around his waist as he grabbed another one and pressed it to his nose. He looked into the mirror, the sight of himself startling him. Both of his pupils were slits, blood smeared across his nose. He felt a chill going down his spine as he stood there, staring at himself. Suddenly, his own reflection moved. It moved the towel away, smiling in a way Dipper never smiled.

“Hiya, Pinetree!” It spoke, Dipper reeling back in horror as he let loose a scream. His legs bumped against the bathtub as he clung tightly to his towel. 

“Y-You’re not real!” He sputtered out. “You can’t be- Bill?!

“I assure you, I am real!” His reflection continued to speak. “You really need to take better care of your body, Dipper.” Mirror Dipper fiddled with his fingers, poking himself in the eye. There was a sudden knocking as a voice spoke through the door. 

“Dipper? Are you okay? I heard screaming. Did something happen?” It was Mabel, her knocking becoming more frequent. Dipper glanced back at his reflection, it raising a finger above his lips. 

“Uh yeah, Mabes. I just got soap in my eyes.” He lied. When he turned back, Mirror Dipper was gone, replaced by Dipper’s paling face. His eye remained the same, an ever constant reminder of his mistake. Dipper turned on the tap, cleaning the blood off of himself. He stared into the mirror for a second, his left eye shifting back to normal. Dipper slipped his clothing back on, placing his cap onto his messy yet damp hair. He exited the bathroom, silently walking downstairs. He entered the living room, Stan and Ford both talking quietly by the table on the other side of the room. Mabel was sitting watching TV as she shared her milk and cereal with Waddles. “Morning.” He muttered, everyone, snapping their heads up to look at him. 

“Morning, Kid!” Stan said, getting up from his seat to give Dipper a pat on the shoulder. Dipper glanced at Ford who hurriedly returned to what he was working on. “I was wondering you wanted to join me ripping off people today?” The older man was smiling, sincerely. 

“Alright. I’ve got nothing else planned today.” Dipper agreed with a shrug. It was true. The only thing he had planned to do was visit Bill’s statue again. He smiled as Stan left the room, heading upstairs. Mabel left as well, carrying her empty bowl towards the kitchen as Waddles trailed behind her. As she left, she leant closely towards Dipper. 

“Grunkle Ford hasn’t been sleeping. He’s worried about you Dipper. So am I.” She whispered, concern lacing her voice. It reminded Dipper of his parent's behaviour after they returned from Gravity Falls. After the news of Weirdmaggedon.

/(I)\

“All I’m asking of you is to tell me and your father what really happened, Dipper.” Dipper’s mother insisted. 

“I already told you! I broke the rift by accident and Bill took advantage of me!” Dipper shouted, waving his arms around in desperation. He was lying. He just couldn’t tell them what really happened. 

“Dipper, please just be honest with your mother.” His father sternly replied, rubbing his forehead. 

“Dipper,” Mabel spoke, placing a hand on his arm. “Please.” Dipper sighed, lowering his head in defeat. 

“Fine! Fine, I’ll tell you the truth. We encountered Bill numerous times over summer. At first, it was because some kid named Gideon summoned him to get the code for Grunkle Stan’s safe so he could take over the Mystery Shack, that one you know.” His parents, nodding as they followed along with the story. 

“And then, we found an underground bunker thingy and we found a laptop after we explored it! Dipper got all sappy trying to ask Wendy out too!” Mabel chuckled, elbowing her brother. 

“Soos fixed the laptop up but it needed a password. Mabel decided to be Mabel and go after one of her crushes again.” He continued after rolling his eyes at Mabel’s comment.

“I totally dodged a bullet with that one,” Mabel commented with a shutter, earning a chuckled from their parents.

“Agreed. I was trying to figure the password out while Mabel decided to make an entire musical with sock puppets. While I was trying to figure it out, Bill showed up in my dreams. He wanted to make a deal to give me the password to the laptop. I said no, initially. Then the laptop decided that I only had one more try the next day. It was going to erase all its data and it was the lead I was looking for all summer! And then Bill showed up again. He said he only wanted a puppet. I figured it was only one of Mabel’s for her show. Instead he-”

“Nope! Bill turned Dipper into a sock puppet and tried to burn things!” Mabel shouted, louder than she probably intended as she cut him off. A smile was plastered on her face. Dipper cringed, facepalming. 

“Yeah, thanks for that Mabel. Yes, he turned my body into a puppet, that’s beside the point.” He complained, earning a slight laugh from his father.

“Did he stop after that, Pumpkin?” His mother asked, placing a hand on his own. Dipper pulled his hand away, awkwardly speaking a moment later. 

“Ironically, no. That wasn’t the end. He showed back up later.”

“What did he do?” His father asked, concerned yet curious. Dipper felt his face flush, unable to control his sudden emotions. 

“U-uh… H-He umm.“ Dipper stuttered, nervous. He glanced at Mabel who suddenly had a stern look on her face. “Spent time with me… “ He lowered his face into his hands, knowing full well his face was as red as a tomato.

“Spent time with you…?” His mother slowly repeated, confused. “What do you mean by that, sweetie?”

“He… spent time with me. Just talking I guess? He didn’t try anything then.” His voice was almost a whisper, barely audible. “It wasn’t anything, I swear! It was just… “ He eventually trailed off, burying his face deeper into his hands. “H-He visited me, one night when I couldn’t sleep and I was just reading. He kept showing up, night after night, occasionally taking me to places in the forest I hadn’t known of and… and…and.” His parents had fallen silent, unreadable emotions flashing across their faces. Mabel stayed silent, gripping onto Dipper’s hand tightly. “I fell in love…” He said it so quietly, you had to listen to hear it. Dipper felt ashamed, unable to bear the truth until now. He raised his head slowly, locking eyes with his parents.

“You… “ His mother began to speak, breaking the silence. “And that… demon?” Her voice was hard, a hint of a condescending tone audible. It only made Dipper feel worse. He knew telling his parents would be difficult, even before the Weirdmageddon leaks. 

“It wasn’t as bad as people are saying! Bill did really love Dipper it was just…” Mabel tried to explain, tapping the tips of her fingers together as she thought of an explanation. “He wasn’t really that good of a person-demon-guy.” Dipper’s gaze fell and he stared at the carpeted ground in front of him.

“He said it. He said he loved me.” Dipper whispered. He felt tears welling in his eyes. He hadn’t felt this sad since Bill had actually died. “And now he’s dead… “ He felt someone place a hand against his shoulder, the weight of the couch shifting as someone sat down beside him.  

“Dipper.” It was his father’s voice. Dipper felt a hand gripping his other shoulder tightly as he was blinded by chestnut brown hair.  

“I’m so sorry. We’re so sorry.” His mother spoke as they both embraced Dipper in a tight hug. “We know how you feel.” 

“No! You don’t know how I feel! You don’t know what I saw or what I had to decide between!” He recoiled from his parents, snapping. His hands were shaking as he stood there, feverishly looking at his parents. “You don’t know what I saw during Weirdmageddon. I saw people I knew being turned into statues. I saw people on the verge of death from starvation. I saw B-Bill t-torturing G-Grunkle Ford.” He began to stutter, tears slipping down his cheeks. “I saw someone I loved dying before me because of the actions of people I trusted.” He hissed, storming out of the room despite his parent's protests, each word filled with concern and regret. 

/(I)\

“Why should I care what’s happening to me. No one cared before why should they care now.” Dipper mumbled to himself as he fiddled with his tie, Mabel’s comments still plaguing his mind. They didn’t deserve to care. It didn’t matter anyway. Dipper knew he was going to be alone in the end. Bill’s death had proved that despite the deal they had made. He finally fixed his tie, his suit reminding him of his time in the Fearamid. It was the exact same suit just modified as he grew. He rubbed a finger across the triangular cufflinks with a sad smile. His hands began to shake as Dipper slowly descended downstairs. Grunkle Stan was waiting in the foyer, dressed in his Mr Mystery get up. Great Uncle Ford had retreated to the basement, choosing to leave Dipper and Stan alone as Mabel went over to Pacifica’s home. It was odd, the rich snobbish girl she was once was replaced with a much nicer Pacifica. Dipper didn’t mind, he tended to stay around Wendy and Soos anyway. 

“Ah! There’s the man of the hour. How you doing in that suit, kid? Bill sure did have some good taste, huh?” Stan joked, obviously trying to lighten the mood. 

“Yeah. He did.” Dipper muttered with a faint smirk, adjusting his suit once more. 

“Right. So,” Stan spoke, rubbing his hands together. “You’re gonna be on the register as I’ve given Wendy and Soos the day off. You’ve gotta steal their money but don’t make it obvious that you're stealing it. Got that, kid?” 

“Alright Grunkle Stan,” Dipper said with a chuckle. The two Pines walked into the gift shop, Stan instantly flipping the sign to open. He went outside after giving Dipper a small thumbs up. Dipper idly sat by the counter, picking up journal 2 which was lying around behind the counter. He flipped it open, skimming through the pages. It was early afternoon, the gift shop usually empty for such a day even with Stan just opening the gift shop. The bell above the door rang and a flock of about three tourists entered, blabbering their mouths off. Dipper closed the journal, slipping it under the counter. “Afternoon folks! Welcome to the Mystery Shack. We put the ‘fun’ in no refunds!” He said, greeting them with a false smile. They didn’t seem to notice, except for a little boy. He was around the age of five or six, wearing a simple t-shirt and shorts. He walked over to the counter, letting go of his mother’s hand with awe-filled eyes as he stared in Dipper’s direction.

“Hiya! I’m George. What’s with your eye?” The boy squeaked, pointing at Dipper. Dipper bit his lip, unsure how to proceed.

“Its… a contact lens, to make my eye look funny.” He lied, adjusting his tie as he grew nervous.

“Mkkay. What’s that?” He seemed to instantly move on, Dipper glad at that fact.

“That’s called a bobblehead, they do this.” He answered with a grin, tapping one of them so it’s plastic head went up and down. 

“Cool! Mom! Mom! Can I get a bobblehead?!” George squealed, turning to around to speak with what Dipper assumed to be the child’s mother. The older woman walked over to pick up a bobblehead as she looked at it and then her son. She finally looked at Dipper with a disgruntled sigh. 

“How much… uh what’s your name kid?” She asked, clearly unamused by the tugging on her pants leg as her child begged.  

“I’m Dipper, that’ll be fifty dollars.” Dipper tugged at the collar of his suit, clearly uncomfortable. The woman pulled out her purse, pausing for a second. 

“Wait. Aren’t you that kid who started that apocalypse here?” She pried, looking up at Dipper with a suspicious glare.

“I-I-I don’t know what your talking a-about.” Dipper spluttered out, arms raised in defence.  

“YOU ARE!” She screamed, startling the other tourist that was still in the gift shop. “They should have you arrested!” Her eyes went wide as she clutched onto her son. “ And your eye! I’m leaving! My son should never be around a monster like you! You demon!” She screamed, tearing her child away from the counter and out the door. 

“Ma’am I-I… “ Dipper knew he couldn’t explain himself.

“But Mom-” Dipper heard the kid complain as they left the shack, Dipper freezing up. The other tourist fled, Grunkle Stan entering the gift shop a moment later. Dipper curled up, gripping his legs tightly. 

“Dipper? Kid, you alright?” Dipper heard Grunkle Stan’s voice echoing above him as he clenched his eyes close. He opened them a moment later, staring in fear at Stan. Dipper raised a hand up to his face but pulled it back when he felt a liquid slipping between his fingers as it stung his eye. “Dipper!” Stan sounded panicked, frightened almost. Dipper slowly let out a laugh. 

Stan recoiled backwards, it was kind of funny when he bumped into one of his displays. Dipper slowly rose to his feet, wiping the blood off of his face. It was still stinging as he blinked a few times. “My god, pain is hilarious.” He chuckled, still laughing. Dipper looked up, seemingly only recognising Stan then. “Oh hey, Fez. This meat puppet is odd, you know that? Can’t hurt it too much, that would ruin everything.” Dipper laughed again. He stumbled a bit, regaining his balance a second later. “When did this kid get legs so wobbly?” Suddenly, Stan moved forward, picking up a nearby chair and slamming it down against Dipper’s head so fast he didn’t see it coming. It smashed into pieces, Dipper turning around slowly. “Now that wasn’t very nice.” He whined, placing a hand on his hip.

“Get out of my nephew's body you bloody triangle!” Stan shouted, punching Dipper down despite his reservations about it. Dipper fell backwards, blood spraying up from his already splattered face. Dipper stood, there, panting as more blood slipped onto the floor. His smile was gone, replaced with a snarl. 

“You’re not going to get rid of me as easily as before, Fez. I assure you that. Poor Pinetree is always beside himself with emotions, mostly anger, confusion and of course, sadness. Emotions are pathetic yet useful. Useful to me.” The boy sadistically chuckled before swaying in place. Dipper collapsed to the ground, crumpling into a heap as he closed his eyes. Stan stood there, fists raised as fright embedded itself into him. Dipper sturred after a second, groaning in pain as his eye fluttered open. “Wha.. what happened?” He mumbled as he rose a hand to touch the bump on his head. “Ouch!” He hissed in pain as he touched the bump. He turned to look at Stan, confusion covering his face. Ford burst through the vending machine, his gun raised. 

“Is he normal?!” Ford screamed at Stan. Dipper was even more confused at that. 

“What’s going on?” Dipper asked, sitting up slowly. Stan walked over to his twin, his gaze never leaving Dipper. 

“He’s fine, Sixer. Leave it.” Stan said firmly. He gripped onto Ford’s shoulder as the old scientist glanced back at Dipper. 

“Is it about Bill?” Dipper meekly spoke, almost afraid to ask it. Ford and Stan both seemed to be startled by it, freezing in place as they both stared at Dipper. The two older twins looked at each other with a perturbed look. “He’s in my body isn’t he?” 

The two men continued to look at one another until Stan spoke up. “Yeah, kid, he is.” 

* * *

**Wuxvw Qr Rqh, Qrw Hyhq Brxuvhoi.**

 


	6. A Late Night.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You can't run from lost love.

Dipper woke up with a start, clinging at his sheets in desperation. His nightmare was clawing at his mind as he sat there, panting raggedly. With the recent revelations of what was happening, Dipper breathed deeply, trying to calm himself down as quickly as he could. Emotions. It was his emotions that caused Bill to take over repeatedly, at least, that's what Ford had told him. Hazily, Dipper picked up the glass of water nearby, gulping it down rapidly. He could see Mabel's sleeping form nearby on her own bed in the shadows, mumbling about something in her sleep as Waddles lied, curled up, under her forearm.

He wiggled his toes, something caking the sole of his foot. Dipper placed a finger against it, feeling what seemed to be mud and pine needles coating his feet, dry and crusty. What were they doing on his feet? He let loose a yawn, his brain thing him to go back to bed rather than to pry into the strange substance on his sole. He ignored the filth on his feet, curling back into bed. 

/(I)\

He woke up in the forest, smacking his head against a tree branch roughly as he rose his head. How had he ended up here? It was pitch-black, the evidence of a recent thunderstorm covering the ground in the form of puddles and slick mud. "W-Where.. am I?" He said despite his realization of familiar landmarks. He moved forward, his bare feet disappearing into the mud with a squelch. He jerked it out with a sucking sound. “Ugh! What the hell!” He grumbled, continuing to walk forward, even with his feet vanishing into the abyss. And then he saw it, the single red string tied around his finger. It was difficult to see with the low light but he could see it clearly through the dimness, the bright crimson of the twine snaking together around his flesh. He felt a tug, his hand being jerked forward as the string began to tighten. He saw it snaking deep into the forest, not a speck of mud covering the red lined path. He followed the trail, winding the string together into a ball. He saw it as his heart leapt in his hollow chest. The string’s end was tied around the outstretched hand of Bill’s statue. The moonlight shone from the gap in the tree canopy, illuminating the statue with a ghostly blue light. 

He heard it, the faint echo of whispering emanating from the statue. It was almost as if it was beckoning him toward it, the red string of fate tugging him closer to his demise. “Is this even real?” He mumbled to himself, turning away from the statue. The string became taught again, pulling him back around. Dipper froze, eyes going wide as he saw the figure in front of him.

“You tell me, Pinetree.” Bill said, pulling the other end of the string closer. It was surreal, the triangle appearing before him. It had to be a dream, it had to. Bill sat where his statue normally was, in his old human form, sitting cross-legged.“This is an interesting predicament we’ve gotten ourselves in, isn’t it?” He placed a grinning smile atop his closed fist as he leant against his arm.  

“YOU! I hate you! How d-dare you!... You prick!!” Dipper swore. Bill pulled a hand against where his heart could have been, faking emotional pain. 

“Me? Ha! You grew some balls since I last saw you, Dipper.” His smile had fallen. He rose from the ground, hooking Dipper with a cane that appeared out of nowhere. 

“I mean it, Bill. I don’t love you anymore.” Dipper snapped, angry at Bill in particular.

“That doesn’t mean I don’t love you still, kid.” His shrill voice had softened yet Dipper didn’t care. He didn’t care about the fondness in the dream demon’s voice or the fact that his body was beginning to refuse to listen to him as it began to turn to jelly in front of what seemed to Bill.

“You have a funny way of showing it.” He said coldly as Bill pulled Dipper close with his cane. 

“Oh stop it. Don’t tell me you're not excited to see me. I can see it the way your body heat rose and how your shaking.” He poked Dipper gently on the nose with his free hand before grabbing Dipper into a hug. Dipper didn’t know how to react, his limbs refused to listen to him as they allowed Bill to hold him. He felt his hormones kicking him, his human instinct telling him it was alright. But it wasn’t. Deep down, Dipper knew that he was just Bill’s puppet, he had been since that day Bill swept him off his feet. He jerked away, face flushed red as he landed in a puddle behind him. 

“N-No! I’m not!” He stuttered out, getting up as he tried to scrap the mud off of his pyjamas. He was suddenly pressed onto a tree, the bark roughly rubbing against his exposed legs. He looked at Bill as the demon pushed himself close. 

“You sure about that Pinetree?” Bill asked, whispering it gently into Dipper’s ear. Dipper felt his face flush, his throat becoming dry as he struggled to talk. He felt Bill’s alien heartbeat against his chest, Bill moving his hand closer to Dipper’s trunks. Dipper grabbed onto the demon’s hand, roughly pulling it away. Bill reacted to that moment by pressing his lip’s against the teen’s collarbone, tracing his way up to Dipper’s closed lips. He pressed himself closer, the demon’s tongue worming its way into Dipper’s mouth as it mapped out every inch of his mouth, entwining it with Dipper’s own. Reality suddenly snapped back to Dipper, the teen trying to shove Bill off yet he found that Bill’s claw-like fingers holding him tightly in place. He started to squirm, Bill digging his fingers in tighter until it drew a small pinpricks of blood. It didn’t hurt, in fact, Dipper didn’t feel anything but Bill’s body against his own. Bill released Dipper from the exchange. Dipper swung his fist around, knocking Bill onto the ground. He had hit Bill so hard, the demon had a bloody nose. “What the hell was that for?!” Bill snapped. 

“'What the hell was that for?!' Are you kidding me?!” Dipper screamed in return, wiping his mouth on disgust. “You're a sick bastard if you think I feel that way, Cipher.” Bill looked defeated. He let loose a sigh before speaking.

“We both know we can’t exist at the same time, Dipper. Why not just become one? It’ll be easier for us both.” He stated, crossing his arms like a child after not getting what they wanted. He wiped the blood away from his nose before holding out an open hand. “How about we make a-” 

“A deal? No way.” Dipper finished for him, eyes narrowed in suspicion. “I don’t care. I’ll find a way to get you out of my body and my head.” 

“It’ll be impossible and you know that. We either have to both die or both live. You’ve known that for a while, haven’t you? See, having an all-knowing demon in your head isn’t that bad, is it?” Bill was smirking now. Dipper wanted to wipe that smile from his face with force but he knew that Bill was right. “You know things that you shouldn’t and it bugs you how you know it? I’m right, aren’t I? Face it Dipper, I am you and you are me.”

/(I)\

“My god, Dipper did you really get an A in almost every subject?” His Mother shouted with sheer contentment, looking at his report card. Dipper knew that every subject, excluding Physical Education, was an A or above. 

“How’d you do it, young man?” His father asked with a chuckle. Dipper laughed. 

“I honestly don’t know. Luck I guess?” He mumbled. He didn’t know. He just knew the correct answers. He knew things that others didn’t. Sometimes that disturbed him. Like how Mary Jacobs placed her gum in the further most corner of her desk or that Jonathan Willis was cheating on his girlfriend with a girl he met during summer camp in June. Or that Mabel was having constant nightmares about Weirdmageddon and refused to tell anyone, even Dipper himself. How he knew, he didn’t know that part. 

/(I)\

Dipper jolted awake, sweat coating his body. Him encountering Bill in the forest was only a dream. It was just a dream. It was just his subconscious telling him the truth. That was it, Dipper told himself. He glanced out at the window and then at Mabel, early morning light filtering through the triangular window. She was still fast asleep, Waddles moving around before snorting in his sleep again. He felt something drip onto his arm and he glanced down, seeing blood speckled on his arm. He raised a hand up to his nose, feeling blood slipping between his fingers. Concern and slight fear struck his heart, blood landing on sheets. He knew what Bill was planning, and it wasn’t good.

* * *

**Wzr elugv ri d ihdwkhu  
Vdb wkdw wkhb'uh dozdbv jrqqd vwdb wrjhwkhu**

 


	7. Slipping From Reality.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The future may seem bright but falling down a path long forgotten will lead to death.

The next day, Dipper awoke to someone hovering above him. He let loose a scream, scrambling to grab his sheets only to discover that it was just Mabel, two googly eyes glued to her chin. He rapidly breathed in and out, trying to calm himself. “Mornin', Dipper, guess who!” Mabel said, her voice funny and dorky. As her chin moved, the eyes bobbled around. Dipper rolled his eyes with a smile.  

“Oh, what joy. If it isn't Mr. Upside-Downington. How long's it been? Third grade, maybe?” Dipper’s voice was laced with sarcasm, Mabel moving off his bed.

“That's right. And I'm here to deliver you an upside-downington-tastic message!” Her voice remained the same, taunting Dipper with its cartoon style of voice acting.

“Is it the message that we're getting too old for this sort of thing?”

“NEVER!” She declared, holding her fist up in false triumph. Mabel let loose a sigh, glancing out the window as her train of thought changed directions. “In a weeks time, we’ll probably be rid of Bill! Ford did say he found something that might work!”

“Yeah. One week.” Dipper absently traced a finger against the runes on his wrist. 

“That's not the only good news coming up!” Stan shouted, the door bursting open. Soos was behind him, waving a hand in greeting before entering the room with Stanley. “In one week my senior citizen's ponytail kit is coming in the mail. I'm...I'm kinda going through some things.” Stan stated, slowly becoming awkward as he explained himself. 

“In one week, my grandma is finally letting me eat crackers on my bed! The future is coming for us all, dudes.” There was a look of success on Soos face as he smiled.

“THE FUTURE!” They all cheered. Dipper burst out laughing, unable to take Mabel seriously. 

“I'm sorry, I can't take you seriously with that face on your chin.” He chuckled. 

“What face, Dipper?” Mabel’s voice was mimicking that dorky voice again. Dipper laughed again. 

“You're-You're doing the voice so you obviously know what I'm talking about-” 

“Bi bon't bnow bhat bou're balking about.” She bounced her face up and down, the plastic eyes spinning around. They both burst out laughing, clutching their sides. 

“There is something wrong with you.” He said with a smile, genuinely happy at that point in time.

“There's something wrong with both of us,” Mabel stated, grabbing Dipper into a hug. He allowed his sister to embrace him. It was the first hug she had given him in a while. He gladly accepted the contact. 

/(I)\

“Boom! I built a mini-mystery shack!” Mabel shouted, pointing at her model that sat on the table nearby. Dipper wandered over, looking at it with interest. He lifted up the top, seeing a tiny version of their bedroom. He flipped the roof over, looking at the details in the ceiling.

“Woah! You even got the mould stains on the roof right!” He was impressed with his sister’s creativity and handy-work. For once, life felt normal for Dipper. He had yet to have a blood nose and he was in a better than ever mood. Soos sat nearby, munching on chips while watching the TV. He glanced over at Mabel’s model and rose his thumb up. 

“Looks good, girl dude,” Soos said with a smile, cheese dust over his face. Stan poked his head through the open doorway, entering the room a second later. 

“I agree. That baby looks amazing.” Stan was smiling too. Everyone was smiling. Suddenly the entire shack shook Mabel, stumbling to grab her model which was tilting off the edge. She caught it. Barely. 

“Dipper, my face is on fire!” A loud shout echoes from the hallway. 

“I'll just be a sec.” Dipper sheepishly spoke, rushing out of the room. He skidded down the hall until he reached Ford’s room. His great uncle was wiping his face, which was smoking as if it was on fire. It had been on fire, hadn’t it? “ Great Uncle Ford, are you okay?” 

“Oh yes, I'm fine. I just said that to make sure you'd come in here quickly.” He finished patting his face, placing the towel away. 

“But your face _is_ on fire.” He pointed at the smoke that only just vanished completely as it spiralled upwards. 

“Yes, it's much faster than shaving. Now, listen, Dipper. I have a very important mission, and you are the only one who can help me. Remember how I said last night I may of found a way to get rid of Bill from your mind?” Ford began to explain. 

“Yeah? What do we do?” 

“I’ll explain on the way!” 

“Wait, what about Mabel?” He said, sadness in his voice. He was planning on spending time with his sister today. They had barely been together the entire summer, unlike last year. With everything going on with Bill, he barely even spoke to her. And now she was making art projects and doing things without him.

“It's okay, Dipper. You should totally go with Grunkle Ford to save the world or whatever by getting rid of Bill.” Dipper became startled with his sister spoke, standing in the doorway. He quickly composed himself.

“Are you sure? We were gonna go see the gnomes-” He began but she cut him off with a smile. 

“We're going to be doing exploring junk all week. I’ll just knit some more sweaters and go see Paz again. Plus, I packed us walky-talkies. Here's one for my arty mission, and one for your smarty mission.” She passed over a brown bag, chuckling. They both laughed for a second until Ford clears his throat.

“I did mention that the fate of the universe and your life is at stake, didn't I? Hurry, we haven't much time.” He runs out of the room and they could hear his boots clucking against the stairs.  

“Okay, Dipper. It's your first big mission with Ford. A chance to prove yourself. Don't mess this up.” He took a deep breath before running forward, accidentally slamming into a wall. “Ow! Ah, heh heh, I'm alright.” He laughs it off before running back out, tripping on his shoelace and landing on his face. “Ahh!” He heard Mabel’s laughing behind him, snickering under her breath. “C'MON!” He groans before laughing too.

/(I)\

They stood up by the floating cliffs, Dipper rapidly banging his fist against his walky-takie. “Mabel? Mabel, you there? Ugh.” He shouted into the device but the only thing that followed was static. He slipped it back into his bag with a defeated sigh, hoisting his bag up higher afterwards.

“Listen, Dipper. In order to get rid of Bill for good, it's going to a substance more powerful than anything on earth. Something...extraterrestrial in origin.” Ford explained, standing upright as the wind blew around them. 

“W-What do you mean?” Dipper was confused, he stared at Ford as the older man pointed at the cliffs in front of them. 

“Dipper, look at the peculiar shape made by those cliffs. Does it remind you of anything?” Dipper is even more confused with where Ford was going with this, staring at his great uncle and then at the cliffs ahead of him. 

“Hmm…” He mumbles. He already knew the answer, therefore, Dipper decided to go along with Ford’s blasphemous game of charades and dangling ropes. He felt numb as if his emotions were suddenly turned off. It didn’t phase him as much as it should have. Ford pulled out his keys, loosely hanging the UFO keychain in front of Dipper’s view of the cliffs. Dipper let loose a subtle yet false gasp. “Shut. up.” He shouted to drive home his point. 

“According to my research, the entire valley of Gravity Falls was formed when an extraterrestrial object crash-landed here millions of years ago. Did this craft cause the town's strange properties? Or, did the town's strange properties attract the craft? The answer is still unknown.” Ford stated, staring off into the distance as if he was thinking dramatically. Of course Sixer would say that. Dipper thought. His eye went wide in panic as he realized what he just called his great uncle. Shakily, Dipper spoke.  

“B-But, t-that's crazy! Where did the saucer go?” Ford laughed, luckily mistaking his fear for excitement. 

“Sometimes the strangest things in the world are right under our noses.” Ford pushed the large grey rock that was nearby away, revealing a metal plate. He pulled out his magnet gun, cocking it. “And our feet, in this particular instance. Now you might wanna stand back. This magnet gun can rip the fillings out of a man's mouth from 100 feet.” 

Dipper stepped back, Ford aiming the weapon at the metal door. He pressed a button and the door flew open, attaching itself to the weapon. “Whoa!” Dipper exclaimed, slightly impressed. 

“I used to raid this thing for parts for years. Where do you think I got the materials to build my portal?” Ford stated, chucking the metal away.

“You...I...words... not working for mouth.” Dipper said, still faking his surpised attitude.

“Now come. Take this.” Stanford tossed the teen his magnet gun, Dipper scrambling to grab it. Last he checked, he was still failing sport class. 

“Whoa, whoa!” He finally caught it, gripping to it tightly.

“Don't worry, I've been down here countless times; all the aliens have been dead for millions of years.” The old scientist started going down the ladder but popped up a second later. _“_ Probably.” Dipper watched as Ford went down, taking a deep breath to calm himself and to keep his emotions in check. He slipped into the hole, gripping onto the rope ladder tightly. It felt old and worn, the ladder swaying as movement rocked it. He descended into the unknown, following his great uncle.

* * *

 **Grq'w eodph**  
**Qrz wkh urdg odlg rxw ehiruh ph lv lq iodphv**  
**Dqg wkh eulgjhv wkdw L'yh furvvhg kdyh froodsvhg**  
**Dqg wkh yxowxuhv wkhb duh flufolqj ryhukhdg**  
**Wkhb'uh uhplqglqj ph ri fkrlfhv iurp pb sdvw**  
**Grq'w eodph brxuvhoi**  
**'Fdxvh brx wulhg dv kdug dv khoo**  
**Zlwk wkh kdqg wkdw brx zhuh ghdow**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N the next two chapters are edited but still from 'Dipper and Mabel vs The Future.'


	8. The Dead Lies.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lying is a skill, to master it you must practice.

“I can't believe there's been a giant UFO under the town this whole time,” Dipper shouted, climbing his way down the ladder into the darkness. 

“I wish my mind could be where yours is right now, Dipper. When confirmation of extraterrestrials still had that punch. Now it's just sort of "eh." McGucket and I used to come down here all the time to raid their tech and study their language.” Ford chuckled as they both finally set foot on the ground. My mind isn’t in the gutter like your’s is Sixer, Dipper thought, rolling his eyes at Ford’s comment. Dipper looked ahead of himself, alien writing carved into the metal walls as plantlife grew through the worn and rusted cracks. He took out his camera, spotting an entire wall of runes. 

“This is so cool!” Dipper took a selfie with the ancient relics before returning to the ancient relic that was his great uncle. 

“The substance we need to get rid of Bill is an alien serum. Strong enough to keep any other being out of your mind. Just one dollop of this medicine should be enough to seal Bill away from your mind completely and back into his statue. Also, if it touches you it will seal up all the orifices in your face,” He cocked his gun. “So try to avoid that. Now, use your magnet gun and follow me. Hup!” He ran off the edge, using his magnet gun to practically glide down a pillar. He disappeared from view and into the shadows. 

“Great Uncle Ford!” He screamed awkwardly, peering over the edge.

“Your turn! Say ‘hup’! It helps!” The old scientist’s voice echoed up. Dipper took a deep breath before looking down at the gun in his hand. 

“Okay. Just turn on magnet, leap down the hole. Turn on…” He fiddles with it for a second. _”_ C'mon already.” The gun whirled to life, vibrating with energy. “Magnet.” He took a running start, grunting as he jumped over the edge. “Ah!” It goes upwards rather than where he wanted it to go, sticking him to the ceiling. He’s left dangling there, clinging onto the gun for dear life. “A little help?” He squeaked. 

/(I)\

“This is their storage facility. This place would've been heavily guarded, but now everything's defunct. Go ahead, flip any switch. They've all been busted for millions of years.” They walked past a console, Dipper rubbing his wrists from the strain from before. He pressed one of the buttons a few times, shrugging when it didn’t do anything. They walked into another room, tiles stacked up in piles as they gathered dust. “The medicine should be around here somewhere, so keep your eyes peeled. Dipper, let me ask you something. Have you thought much about your future?” Ford asked. Dipper walked up beside him, looking at the large alien work area in front of him.

“No, not really. Getting rid of Bill seems to be what everyone's planning to do. Otherwise, I dunno. I mean, beyond graduating high school with a high GPA so I can get accepted to a good technical college with a photography and media production minor to start my own ghost hunting show.” Dipper rambled, sorting through tiles, alien language carved into each one.  

“Ha, heh heh! It's like talking to a younger version of myself. If you're so sure of what you want out of life, why wait? Why put up with the drudgery of school?” Ford pressed his hand against a button, titles shooting up from a hole in front of him.  

“Heh. Trust me, I'd love to fast-forward the whole thing, but it's not like I have a choice.” He sadly chuckled, sifting through his own pile.

“Dipper, I've been thinking. I'm getting too old to investigate Gravity Falls on my own. I need to train an apprentice to help me fight monsters, solve mysteries, and protect this town. And I think I'd-I'd like to keep it in the family.” Ford stopped, smiling at Dipper.

“What are you saying?” Dipper narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Why? He had no clue. 

“I've read your additions to my journal and I'm impressed with your potential. I’m impressed with you after what I’ve seen you do this summer so far. What would you say to staying in Gravity Falls after the summer ends and becoming my apprentice? Permanently, unlike what you’ve been doing recently.” He praised, showing Journal 3 in his hand as he flipped to one of the pages with Dipper’s blue ink.

“W-what about school?” Dipper’s gaze shifted to the floor.

“Dipper, I have 12 PhDs. Your parents would be thrilled I could give you such an advanced education.” Ford’s voice was filled with egoistic joy despite him talking about Dipper. 

“There's also Mabel. She'd be all alone in California.” ‘And I don’t trust you’, was on the tip of Dipper’s tongue but he refrained himself. 

“Mabel will be fine on her own. She has a magnetic personality. I watched her become pen pals with the pizza delivery man in the 60 seconds he was at the door.” 

“Gosh, we've never really been apart before.” That was a lie. A blatant lie. 

“And isn't it suffocating? Dipper, can you honestly tell me you never felt like you were meant for something more?” Ford didn’t seem to notice it though, continuing to convince Dipper. 

“I-I dunno. Sounds like a dream come true, but I'm not sure I have what it takes. I was tricked by Bill, I was wrong about him and now he’s in my head. Heck, I can't even operate this magnet gun right.” He accidentally clicked it on, one of the titles becoming stuck to the gun. Dipper tried to pry it off with his foot. Something blue leaked from it, dripping onto the ground.

“Ha! Yes! Dipper, you've found the serum!” Ford was ecstatic, excited at the fact that they found it. 

“I did?” His voice seemed small. Ford pulled out a camera, fiddling with it for a second.  

“Hoho, you really did it, kid. Huddle in, let's get a picture of this.” As he said that, Dipper stared at his fingers. They were covered in blood as his nose dripped the crimson liquid. Dipper looked up at Ford whose face instantly paled. He looked back down at his fingers as more blood streamed from his face.

“Uh, Grunkle Ford, you said everything in here is dead, right?” Dipper whispered. He heard Ford shuffle, reaching for something. “Why are you alive then?” 

“Dipper, you need to-” Ford began as Dipper rose his head, revealing that both of his eyes were slitted and yellow.  

“What, old man? Calm down?! I can’t just stand here and let you get the one thing you shouldn’t have. Although, all it would do was get me out of the kid’s head. You’re not as smart as I thought you were, Sixer.” Dipper snapped, letting loose a laugh afterwards. “It’s funny really. Everything is so funny.” Dipper just shrugged, startling Ford even more. Stanford had pulled out his gun at this point, aiming directly at Dipper’s chest. 

“Get out of my-”

“Nephew's body? Fez already beat ya to that one. Seriously, Stanford, you’re no fun anymore.” Dipper crossed his arms, sitting cross-legged on the floor. He didn’t seem fazed by the gun in his face either. “Damn kid hates me now. Although, I doubt he knows I’ve been killing things in his body while he sleeps. You remember that don’t you, Fordsy? Waking up and being afraid little old me had been in your body.” He was taunting Ford now, Bill’s shrill voice mixing with Dipper’s own. Ford was as stiff as a board, his gun still raised high, thumb hovering over the trigger. “I know you’re not going to actually shoot me. It would kill the kid and you know it. Ironically, despite the length in which I’ve been in Pinetree, I still hate all of you. Except for Shooting Star. You’d be surprised how much she means to Dipper. How about I tell you a story Sixer, and you don’t shoot me?” He was smirking now.

“Alright. But I’m watching you, demon.” Ford lowered his gun slowly, narrow-eyed.

“It happened after Pinetree and Shooting Star returned to their home in California and I’ll tell ya, after the leaks happened there was a shit storm, Sixer.”

/(I)\

Dipper flinched back as someone slammed his locker closed, the teen clutching his journal and Journal 3 closely. A large teenager in Dipper’s grade loomed over Dipper, cracking his knuckles. He had brown hair and brown eyes that looked as if they had come from hell itself. “Oh look it’s that gay Dipshit!” He shouted as his friend who stood nearby laughed. Dipper ignored them, trying to walk away. “You seen your boyfriend lately?!~”

“Hey, where you going, nerd?” Another kid, a blonde one, yelled, barring his escape. 

“Just leave me alone, Jacob.” Dipper snapped, already frustrated. 

“Or what? Whoops!” Jacob slammed his fist down, knocking both of the journals out of his arms and onto the floor. His journal landed upside down, Journal 3 landing on the page he had been reading previously. Jacob and his cronies let out laughs, mocking Dipper as he scrambled to pick his things up. He knelt down, picking his own blue-covered journal with care. He tucked it under his elbow before reaching forward to grab his great uncle’s work. But then someone roughly smashed down their foot on Dipper’s hand, the teen unable to reach as it became pinned. His gaze went upwards to discover it was Jacob again.  

“Get the hell off of my hand, Miller.” Dipper was practically growling it. Jacob just laughed.

“Or what, whimp? Your gonna read me to death?” He just laughed and laughed. 

“I said, get the hell off of my hand!” He snarled, forcefully shoving the teen off as Dipper rose to his feet. 

“Oh! Little Dipshit grew some balls. What a joke.” One of his goonies spoke as another laughed. Dipper was suddenly pissed, even more so than before. He ran forward without thinking, punching Jacob right in the face. The larger teen stumbled back to reveal he had a cut lip. His friends froze, looking at Dipper and then Jacob. They both stared at each other for a second before Jacob returned the favour by swing his fist forward. There was a sudden flash of magenta and someone caught his fist mid-air. 

“Leave my brother alone, Miller. Or should I tell a teacher about what I just saw?” Mabel said, her voice laced with seriousness. “Last I checked, two more strikes and you get expelled.” Jacob went silent, his eyes darting from Mabel to Dipper, the latter of which was still seething with rage and hate. With a grumble, Jacob retreated, his friends following behind him. Dipper leant down and picked up his journals which had fallen onto the ground again.  When he was done, Mabel was still standing by Dipper’s locker, arms crossed and a looking of ‘are you kidding me?’ covering her face. “Dipper-” She began.

“Enough, Mabes. You know I’ve been through a lot. Can we just leave it at that?” Dipper cut her off, beginning to walk down the hallway. He heard her sigh before walking in the other direction.

/(I)\

“Why is that story relevant?” Ford asked, unamused by his tale. 

“Think about it Sixer or do I have to spell it out for you?” Dipper taunted, jumping up and pointing a finger at Ford. Ford stared at Dipper as he thought, his face suddenly shifting from confused to understanding in a matter of seconds

“You… You were already in him!” He practically shouted it, pointing an accusing finger towards Dipper. 

“Ding ding ding, we have a winner! Well done Sixer. You're smarter than you seem. Unfortunately, Pinetree isn’t as easy to manipulate as he used to be.” He let out a sigh as if he was reminiscing about the past. 

“I’ll stop you! I’ll-”

“I’d like to see you try. It would be funny to see you try, cute even! We both know that the serum will turn the kid into a vegetable forever. You really want that, Fordsy?” A sense of deja vu shrouded the room, Ford shivering despite the summer heat. Dipper suddenly wobbled on his feet, groping his fingers onto a nearby surface to balance himself. “Lucky you, Dipper’s regaining consciousness. I’ll be watching you Sixer.” Dipper collapsed to the ground, laying limp on the metal floor. Ford rushed over, gun unholstered. He poked the teen gently as he held his breath. Dipper sturred awake, his fluttering open as he sucked in some air. “W-What happened?” He spluttered out, trying to get himself up. Ford helped the teen up, gripping on his forearm tightly. 

“You…” Ford began but paused, biting his lip. “Just passed out for a while. Nothing happened.”

“Did Bill..?” He meekly spoke, coughing up dust a moment later.

“No. No, he didn’t.” Ford lied, gritting his teeth as he smiled. “Let’s get back to the shack.” Dipper nodded, picking up his fallen backpack as Ford slipped the alien medicine into his trench coat pocket. They walked towards the rope ladder, the seeds of worry and concern almost at full bloom.

* * *

 **Exw kh vdqj orxghu dqg orxghu lqvlgh wkh krxvh,**  
Dqg qr L frxogq'w jhw klp rxw  
Vr L wudsshg klp xqghu d fdugerdug era  
Vwrrg rq lw wr pdnh klp vwrs  
L slfnhg xs wkh elug dqg deryh wkh glq L vdlg  
Wkdw'v wkh odvw vrqj brx'oo hyhu vlqj  
Khog klp grzq, eurnh klv qhfn,  
Wdxjkw klp d ohvvrq kh zrxogq'w irujhw

 


	9. Accepting It, Him, Me.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't make a deal with the devil.

Mabel stared at the photo book in front of her, the pages open to last year. She traced a finger across the photo of her and Dipper exploring the woods one night, Bill following behind them with his wavy blonde hair and fancy suit as he was stepping over a log in his human form. Mabel had noticed the differences in her brother’s behaviour since last summer. He would randomly burst out into an extreme emotion or he’d completely avoid her. At first, it wasn’t normal but it grew to become like that. Mabel just didn’t know when her brother’s problems would stop. She let loose a sigh, clutching Waddles tightly. 

“Hey, everything all right, pumpkin?” Stan asked as he walked into the room, a can of Pitt Cola in his hand. 

“I’m just worried about Dipper. And I know how awful high school's going to be for Dipper, I'm in no hurry to start that train wreck. I wish we could stay here forever.” She buried her face into her sweater, Stan placing a hand on her shoulder. 

“Ah, nobody likes gettin' older. But just because you're growing doesn't mean you have to _grow up_ , you know? I mean, look at me. I'm pushin' seventy and I _still_ eat ice cream for dinner.” Stan joked, letting loose a small chuckle.

“But I don’t want Dipper to be worried all the time about Bill and what people think.” Mabel sounded sad.

“Hey, at least whatever happens after this summer, he'll still have you along with him through thick and thin. Not everyone can say that, you know.” He smiled sincerely, taking a sip from his drink. He gives her a noogie before leaving the room. 

“Yeah, at least when I go home I always have Dipper and he’ll have me.” She reaches nearby, picking up a photo of the two of them fishing from last summer. “Good ol', reliable ol'-” The walkie-talkie crackles with static before a voice comes through it. ‘ _Are you okay?_ ’ It sounded like Ford. Mabel grabbed the device, holding it close to her ear. ‘ _I'm fine._ ’ Mabel felt concerned, her brother never sounded like that. ‘ _Dipper, to tell you the truth, this serum could kill you._ ’ She felt her heart sink at those words. ‘ _I know. I knew since we entered the UFO._ ’ ‘ _How did-_ ’ Ford’s voice sounded startled, frightened even. ‘ _I know? There’s a lot of things I know, Grunkle Ford. And I know I’ll die anyway, with or without the serum._ ’ Dipper's voice was flat, devoid of emotion. Mabel felt a chill going down her spine. The walkie-talkie spluttered off, Mabel’s hands shaking as she stared at the grey device. 

/(I)\

Dipper entered the bedroom, tossing his bag aside as it landed on the wooden ground. “Mabel! I just had the best day of my life! UFOs are real and there's one under the town and I found the serum and- and…" He spotted Mabel lying on the bed, her back to him as her brown hair fell off her back in waves. She wasn't moving to greet him. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Tell me it's not true, Dipper. Tell me you were joking." She holds up the walkie-talkie which emits static. Dipper glanced back at his bag with a long sigh. "You really don't care if you died!?" 

"Well yeah! If I've got the opportunity to kill that demon, I might as well take it!" Dipper was frustrated now, waving his hands frantically as he pulled out his hair a little.

"Well, it's a horrible opportunity _for me!_ I had the worst year of my life! When we turn fifteen, the summer ends, and I have to leave everything behind. You're the only person I can count on and now _you're_ leaving me _too_!? Are you fucking kidding me?!" Mabel swore through her tears. Mabel never swore. "You know what? I'm done! I'm done trying to look out for you! All you do is close me off!" Mabel stormed out of the room, leaving Dipper alone. Dipper didn't try to stop her. He landed on the bed with a flop, tears emerging in the corners of his eyes. 

Mabel's words plastered his brain, making him rethink his previous statements. She was right. Dipper curled up tightly, shutting his eyes closed. 

/(I)\

He opened his eyes to see the room completely grayscale. He felt his throat drying up as he glanced around. He looked at his hands to discover that he was almost like a ghost, translucent and blue.

“Well, Well, Well. Someone’s depressed!” A shrill voice said. Dipper groaned, pulling back at the sight of Bill hovering nearby, his human form showing that he was indeed amused.

“Nope! Not dealing with this!” Dipper instantly turned away, crossing his arms. He coughed into his hand and became startled by what was on it. Blood covered his ghostly pale skin where he coughed. “What.. the?” He mumbled, confused. 

“Looks like we’re dying. How fun for you!” Bill taunted, hovering by Dipper’s shoulder as he watched the teen’s reaction. “You know how to fix this, don’t ya Pinetree. All it would need is a simple deal!” 

Dipper let loose a sigh. “And what would this deal include?” Dipper’s voice became flat and deflated, hope draining from him like water from a bathtub that’s drain became unplugged. 

“You want the short answer or the long one?” Bill was smirking. 

“Short answer, Bill.” Dipper placed a hand on his hip, glaring at Bill with narrowed eyes.

“My magic merges with your dumb human soul! We live as one in one body, essentially getting rid of the whole, ‘we can’t coexist’ thing.” Bill did air-quotes mid-sentence, rolling his single eye. “I don’t die, you don’t die. A win-win!” Bill’s explanation didn’t seem to satisfy Dipper at all.

“There’s something you’re not telling me, isn’t there?” Dipper remarked, turning his head as Bill hovered around him. 

“As keen as ever, Dipper. It would basically be a mix of our personalities. You might not feel as… normal as you're used to feeling afterwards. Do we have a deal, kid?” Bill spluttered out, holding out a flaming blue hand. Dipper stared at it for a second, glanced down at the blood on his hand before looking back at Bill. 

“It’s a deal.” Dipper grabbed onto the outstretched hand, feeling the blue flames snaking up his arm. But they didn’t stop when they reached his forearm. They didn’t even stop when they passed the border of tattooed runes, no, they kept going upwards, snaking around Dipper’s shoulder and up to his neck. The flames burst into his right eye, the slitted eye, pain striking him hard. He tried to pull back but Bill’s grip remained, holding him in place as he let loose a scream. It was blindingly painful, white-hot and strong. Dipper screamed until his throat was corse, Bill finally letting go as the teen’s shoulders slumped. Dipper closed his eyes, whimpering.

/(I)\

Dipper jolted awake with a scream, Mabel darting up from her own bed as she rushed to turn on the light. Dipper felt liquid coming from his eye and he scrambled to grab anything to stop it. Mabel rushed forward, pushing a spare piece of fabric against it. He gritted his teeth as the pain stung his eye, Mabel silently holding it firmly. “M-Mabes. I’m sorry. I really am. I’m a dummy aren’t I?” 

“The biggest.” Mabel chuckled, a faint smile appearing on her strained face. Eventually, the bleeding stopped, the fabric stained a rusty crimson. “You want me to get Grunkle Ford or Grunkle Stan?” She sat, kneeling on the edge of his bed, worried etched in her face. A smile crept up Dipper’s lips. 

 “Nah. I’ll be fine. I’m better than ever, actually.”

* * *

**Brx erxjkw d vwdu lq wkh vnb wrqljkw**   
**Dqg lq brxu pdq-pdgh gdun**   
**Wkh oljkw lqvlgh brx glhg**   
**Rk zh grq'w rzq rxu khdyhqv qrz**   
**Zh rqob rzq rxu khoo**   
**Dqg li brx grq'w nqrz wkdw eb qrz**   
**Wkhq brx grq'w nqrz ph wkdw zhoo**


	10. Severing Fate’s Red String.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fate is in the stars. But what if you can't see them?

Dipper slipped his shoes on, a smile on his face. Why he was smiling? He didn't know. He jumped up from his bed, rushing out of the attic bedroom and down the stairs as he grabbed his backpack. “Mabes! I’m ready!” He yelled as he landed on his feet in the foyer of the shack. He noticed that Mabel’s backpack was already sitting by the door, slumped over with whatever it contained. Mabel walked out from the kitchen, Stan following behind her. He looked at Dipper with concern before tossing something over to the teen. 

“Here kid. You know how people get about that eye.” Stan stated as they all walked to the porch. Dipper looked at the black eye-patch in his hands with a sense of irony. 

“Thanks, Grunkle Stan.” He slipped it over his right eye gently with a small smile.

“C’mon, bro-bro! Let’s go!” Mabel nagged, pulling on his shirt sleeve as she began to drag him towards the forest.

“Don’t get eaten, kids!” Stan shouted, waving goodbye as they left. “And don’t forget to be back before dinner for the party!” They waved in reply, heading in the direction of the forest. Dipper helped his sister over a log, dodging a branch as he did so. He was trying to remember the route to their destination. 

“You think Jeff would be happy to see us?” Mabel asked, pulling out a tree branch from her hair. 

“I dunno.” Dipper just shrugged, walking backwards for a second as he stepped over a branch.

“You seem happier today. Why the sudden mood change?” His sister pried, smiling.

“Bill isn’t in my head anymore. Haven’t heard from him in days.” It was true. It had been at least five days since he agreed to that deal with Bill, the megalomaniac triangle not having bothered him at all. There hadn’t been any signs of Bill taking over his body in days either. It was mostly because Bill wasn’t there anymore. He was Dipper now and Dipper just accepted that fact. Although, the worst part of the deal was the constant stream of new information that swarmed his head. He’d get used to it eventually though.

“That’s great. Maybe Bill just gave up or something.” Mabel just shrugged it off, leaping off a rock before landed on the mossy ground a second later. They stumbled upon a grove, mystical mushrooms and other plant life growing in a supernatural way. Dipper heard voices as Mabel pushed aside some bushes. The bushes revealed a small group of gnomes, talking to one another. They all wore red coloured, cone-shaped hats and blue overalls. The gnomes all had white hair except for one gnome who had brown hair. He was the one who was shouting the loudest. 

“You just can’t expect us to get a Queen-” The brown haired gnome shouted until he looked up, spotting the two humans who were watching. “Oh look who has the guts to finally show up!” Jeff the gnome snapped, still clearly angry about their lateness.. 

“Hey, Jeff! Sorry, we’re late! We had to eat, you know. How are you?” Mabel chirped, clearly ignoring the gnome’s unagreeable anger.

“Oh, good yeah. Still trying to find a new Queen. You uh, still available Mabel?” Jeff’s mood instantly shifted, suddenly trying to turn on the charm. Dipper glared at him. “Oh uh hey, Dipper Pines.” Jeff shifted uncomfortably under Dipper’s gaze. 

"You wanted to show us something?" Dipper began, raising an eyebrow in amusement along with a faint smile. 

"Oh yeah! Follow me." Jeff lead them out of the grove and through the forest. Grumbling under his breath. Dipper knew this path, it was one he travelled more than any other. 

"This is the way to… " Dipper was about to say his statue but slowed down and refrained himself. "The statue." He voice became flat as he spoke, Mabel looking at him with mild concern.

"Something's wrong with it. When Mabel graced us with her heavenly appearance the other day, we thought you'd like to know." Jeff seemed all high and mighty as he complimented Mabel. 

"What's wrong with it? Oh! Are the plants turning into acid and turning it all in melty-heaty-things?" Mabel was walking backwards while she spoke, somehow avoiding every rock, branch and log behind her.

"Not exactly…" Jeff pulled a bush aside so he could walk through. Sunlight was peaking through the canopy, highlighting Bill's statue. Although, now it was different.

The plant-life, which had been abundantly growing around and on the statue, had wilted away to charred and blackened husks. The statue itself was different as well. Runes we etched into the stone under the eye, a single pinetree craved into the centre of the eye. The stone tophat had crumbled to what resembled more of a crown than headwear. Dipper crouched down, tracing a finger along the carving of his zodiac symbol. "What do those rune thingys say?" Mabel asked, looking down at Jeff who stood at the edge of the clearing. 

"Gnomes don't tend to learn Demon tongue. Those jerks can keep it to themselves." Jeff grumbled, crossing his arms. 

"Demon? Are they like you arm doodles, Dip?" Mabel made the connection quicker than him. Dipper's eye grew wide, the other one still covered by the patch. He turned back to the statue as he lifted the eye patch up to get a better look at the runes. He pulled the black patch back down a second later, humming to himself. He trailed a finger along each rune, deep in thought. 

Suddenly, there was a warm feeling on his forearm where his runes were. He looked down to see them glowing a pale blue, changing shape and form. Dipper smiled, at first faintly until he let loose a small laugh. "Of course!" Dipper looked up at his sister with a wide grin. "We've gotta get back to the shack. I left my demon alphabet in our room!" Dipper was ecstatic, grabbing onto Mabel's hand as he ran out of the forest. Jeff the Gnome watched them go in confused silence.

/(I)\

Dipper shifted through his papers, digging through to find his desired object. "What did it look like?" Mabel asked, shifting through Dipper's books and notepads.

"Norman notepad, spiral binder, yellow pages." He described, instantly recalling it from his memory. Dipper had to be honest to himself, it was great to remember things instantly. It was also great to know almost everything. He said almost everything because even Bill didn't know everything. And that he knew that. 

"This is?" Mabel held up a notebook exactly as he described. Dipper's eyes lit up. 

"Yes! Give it here." He shoved off a few of his books, pulling his own dark blue journal out and onto the table at an almost filled page. He grabbed a pen as he glanced at his forearm. Mabel watched, hovering over his shoulders. The first letter was a 'T' and then an 'O' and then a space, and then there was a 'B'. It continued to form in a legible sentence the more he wrote. Dipper put 'Learn Demon' on his To Do list as this was taking quite a while. When he was done, he glanced over at Mabel with a long sigh. Mabel looked at him, both of them concerned with the words written between them. Dipper knew what he had to do.

"We should tell-" Mabel began. 

"No. We can't. It won't work if you leave now, Mabel." Mabel seemed startled, jolted back at his cold and empty tone of voice. Without hesitation, he began to read it aloud. "' _To break the chains of fate, to break free from destiny, to bind two to one._ _eye eno tsuj htiw tsaeb eht raef ,yks semoceb htrae dna sllaF ytivarG nehW .cigam latrommi htiw dnuob luos latrom A .emit tnereffid a ,mrof tnereffid a ,enorht ym mialcer I taht srewop tnedicca eht ekovni I_ ’” Dipper began speaking in reverse, Mabel suddenly jerking onto his arm but he didn’t stop. “‘ _denruter evah I ,nrub lliw dlrow ehT._ ’” He felt her slap him across the face. Dipper snapped his jaw close, staring at her for a second as his hand hovered over where she had hit him.

“What the hell was that!?!” She screamed, panicked and teary-eyed. 

“You’re lucky I had finished it! You don’t want to know what happens when you end something like that midway, Shooting Star!” Dipper shouted, covering his mouth after he realized what he called his sister. Mabel’s face drained of colour. She turned to flee but Dipper grabbed onto her arm with pleading eyes, one normal, the other supernatural. “Mabes. I’m sorry. It just doesn’t end well when you end something like that midway, it causes something worse to happen, something that could kill. I should have told you first.” He explained. Mabel removed her tears “Awkward Sibling hug?” Dipper held out his arms, Mabel instantly grabbing him into a tight grip.

“Pat Pat.” They both sheepish said, patting each other on the back.

“It’s okay, bro-bro. I know you’ve been through a whole lot but you know you can tell me anything. Just please… tell me if anything bad does happen. Please don’t keep me in the dark like before. I love you too much to see you get hurt again.” She whispered, letting loose a yawn as the sunset casted a glow through the triangular window. They heard loud music beginning to play downstairs, Stan shouting something. Through the noise, Dipper whispered one thing in reply.

“I love you too.”

* * *

 **Ehzduh wkh ixwxuh, wkrxjk lw eh euljkw lw exuqv zlwk wkh iluh ri vslwh.**  
  
**Wkh ghprq zloo frqvxph doo wkh lv jrrg, uhsodflqj wkh hpswb zlwk kdwh.**  
  
**Kdwh lv zkdw zloo ixho wkh eurnhq. Wkh eurnhq lv wkh vrxo wkdw lv orvw.**  
  
**Fruuxswhg lv wkh vrxo wkdw olvwhqv wr wkh olhv ri rwkhuv.**

 


	11. Party 'Till Dawn.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the party ends, so does the fun.

Mabel ran down the stairs, music blaring from the room down the hall. She was dressed in an over-the-shoulder pink sweater, bright neon shapes creating shooting stars decorating the front. Her bright yellow skirt with black flats completed the over the top eighties look. Her hair was tied up in an oversized bow as it flew up in many directions. Dipper followed behind her, dressed neatly in the only white dress-shirt he owned as well as his dress-pants that were originally paired with his old tux. His gold-tipped shoes completed the outfit which was a stark contrast to his sister’s bright outfit. The only other hint of colour was the bright blue of Dipper’s pinetree hat. It looked odd compared to the rest of his attire. “Ready to party, Mr Paranoid?” Mabel teased, punching him softly in the arm. 

“Hey! I thought I told you to stop calling me that!” Dipper chuckled as they descended down the hallway.

Flashing lights and louder music telling them that the party was already in full swing. They entered the room, standing on the small balcony that overlooked the room. People were dancing, bright lights blinking in multi-coloured flashes. Stan stood by the food and drink table, Ford standing beside him. Both of them had red paper cups in hand, smiling at people as they passed. Two teenagers panicked, flicking through their cash, clearly not able to pay the now twenty dollar fee. Soos was the DJ yet again, a year since he last did it yet he was still as terrible as he was last time. 

The party wasn't just for fun this year though, Stan finally revealing why he initially hosted the party last year. His and Ford's birthday. “The energy, it's electric! Uhh, lightning, lightning, lightning, lightning…” Soos trails a finger across his keyboard until he pressed the correct button, making a lighting sound. “Yes!” Dipper heard Soos whisper to himself. Dipper let out an amused laugh at the sight.

“Remember, don’t raise the dead this time!” Mabel chirped as she ran into the crowd of people, Pacifica, Candy and Gendra being among them. 

“YOU RAISE THE DEAD ONE TIME!” Dipper cried in desperation before chuckling. He walked down the steps and towards the table where drink sat. He uncapped the top of one, pouring himself a drink of Diet Pitt Cola before turning to Ford. 

“I didn’t think you wanted a party, Grunkle Ford,” Dipper spoke as he leant against the table, sipping from his beverage. Ford smiled, giving a loose shrug. 

“Eh. Stanley told me I should stop locking myself in my lab all the time. I’m doing this for him. How are you doing by the way Dipper?”

“I’m fine. Me and Mabes when to see the Gnomes again today. They’re panicked about something in the forest again. Probably just a bear again.” Dipper shrugged it off, taking another sip of Pitt Cola as he watched Wendy enter the party. He honestly hadn’t talked to the red-headed girl that he once pined after. It was a long forgotten crush he had gotten over when Bill came around. He noted that Wendy had cut her hair, now shoulder length. He hadn’t seen her since he first arrived. “I’ll be right back,” Dipper mumbled, walking slowly towards Wendy without waiting to hear his great uncle’s reply. Once he reached her, he tapped her on the shoulder, startling her. 

“Oh! Dipper...  “ She slowly trailed off, staring at him. Dipper frowned in confusion. 

“Something wrong? Is my shoelace untied?” Dipper glanced down at his shoe and then back at Wendy. 

“Your… eye.” She gulped. “Dude. what happened?” 

“Oh, that! It’s nothing. Just a side effect really!” Dipper let lose a laugh, waving his hand dismissively. He dug around his pockets, pulling out an eyepatch before slipping it on. “There! It isn’t there anymore!”

“Side effect of what exactly?” She seemed confused, even more so than he was a moment ago.

“Magic. Supernatural stuff.” Dipper shrugged, not willing to give an explanation. “Anyway! See ya around!” Dipper just walked away, picking up another drink along the way to the couch. He sat down, crossing his legs as he watched the party unfolded. 

/(I)\

The rest of the party wasn’t as eventful as last years. Soos pulled out a cake in the middle of the party, a cake made by Mabel of course, which the two old twins blew out the candles as everyone cheered. And then the chaos started. It wasn’t Dipper’s fault of course. He was just a catalyst to the mayhem. He may have split his drink which in turn caused a tall man to slip, hitting another person who toppled over the food table who then knocked into Stan who fell into Ford who landed in their cake. Ford was covered in chocolate cake and the vanilla icing coating his glasses at that point. Dipper burst out laughing, clutching his sides tightly. Mabel just stood there with her friends before breaking out into laughter as well. 

The party ended when Mabel and her three friends had passed out due to the amount of sugar they consumed, each collapsing upstairs around Mabel’s bed. Dipper looked at the sleeping form of his sister and the three teenage girls that slept beside her with a yawn. Dipper removed his dress-shirt, stripping off his clothing before getting in his pyjamas. He slipped into bed, ignoring the loud snoring of Grenda as he smirked while drifting off to sleep. 

/(I)\

Dipper felt something stirring inside him like a sucking monster pulling at his chest. Something was also pressing against his eye. He felt something slithering in his chest even more. He jolted awake, letting loose a small scream as he clung to his sheets. Mabel jerked awake at the same time, glancing over at him in panic. His scream seemed to have also stirred Candy, Grenda and Pacifica awake, all three of them looking up drowsily with foggy eyes at them. Mabel flicked the lamp on, gasping in surprise when she saw her brother’s frightening form. Mabel looked at Dipper with concern, flinging her sheets away to rush to get a towel. They had spent too many nights with Dipper waking up screaming before gaining a bloody nose. Although this time, Dipper began to cough up blood. That was different.

Mabel’s friends watched in confusion as Mabel rushed back and forced the towel into Dipper’s hands. Dipper just sat there, silently accepting it. “We can tell them right?” Mabel whispered, pointing at her friends. They seemed even more confused. Dipper tilted his head, thinking for a second. 

“Yeah go ahead. I’m not stopping you.” Dipper mumbled, shrugging a second later. He coughed again, spitting up more blood. It didn’t hurt, in fact, it didn’t affect him at all.

“What the heck is going on!?” Pacifica practically screamed, causing Mabel to flinch. Dipper’s twin slowly raised a finger to her lips, pointing at the closed door.

“Shhhh!” She hissed, the three girls instantly getting the hint. “Ah geez. How do I explain it... “ Mabel mumbled, awkwardly tapping her fingers together.

“Bill’s trying to possess me.” Dipper flat out said, devoid of emotion as he startled the girls. It was a lie. A flat out lie. His face portrayed no emotion as he wiped the blood off. He tossed the towel into the laundry pile that had appeared on the floor the moment he arrived in Gravity Falls.

“Weren’t you and him… “ Pacifica began but Grenda cut in. 

“Dating?!” She shouted, bursting their ear-drums. Candy stayed silent, looking at Dipper in silent judgment until she whispered something under her breath in Korean. Dipper rose a hand to his right eye, only just remembering that he still had an eyepatch on. He pried it off, pressing his finger against his face to feel the marks that it had left. He heard gasping and a loud squeal before he looked back at the teenage girls in front of him. They were staring at him in shock. Dipper rolled his eyes, already bored by the constant fear caused by his slitted iris. 

“Oh get over it. It’s an eye!” Dipper snapped, unsure why he was frustrated. He raised his hand up to his left eye as it began to sting as blood began to seep from that eye. “Ow. Eye stinging. Mabes get me another towel please.” He asked, Mabel nodding as she grabbed another towel. He pressed it against his eye as Mabel continued to explain to her friends. 

“So basically, Bill is in Dipper or something like that and he’s been trying to take over Dip’s body. And so when Bill tries normally, he’ll will bleed somewhere. Not always though. Sometimes-” She explained, her friends nodding along.

“I just get a blood nose.” Dipper finished, shrugging sheepishly. He let loose a small laugh as he felt the bleeding stop. He moved the towel away hear Mabel screaming in fright. “Ow! Why are you screaming?!” Dipper shouted, flinching as her screams burst his eardrums for the second time that night. Mabel stopped, Pacifica, clasping a hand over his twin’s mouth. 

“Your eye, Dip!” Mabel hissed, pointing at his left eye. Her eyes were wide as well, Candy, Pacifica and Grenda staring, all of them completely speechless.

Dipper slowly got up, wobbling on his feet before holding out his arms for balance. “Damn meatbag body.” He mumbled, his voice barely audible. Dipper turned and looked at the girls in front of him as if he only just realized they were there. “Oh. Hello Shooting Star, Llama and other people I don’t want to know!” Dipper chirped, smiling. 

“B-B-Bill!” Candy spluttered out, pointing a finger at Dipper. 

“KILL IT!” Grenda shouted, picking up a heavy book in her thick hands as she raised in defence. 

“That’s rude. I’m not doing anything wrong am I?” Dipper tilted his head, his face scrunched in a frown.

“What do you want you triangular monster?!” Mabel screamed, Candy and Pacifica clinging to her tightly to stop her from attacking

"Woah. Touched a nerve there did I? Hmf. I'm really not here to cause trouble right now I have no clue why you would assume. It's not as if I can control how Pinetree feels." Dipper with smirking now, idly fiddling with the sheets near him. "You humans and your dumb feelings. It's always the same." Dipper moved his face forward until he was right in front of Mabel. "Did you know Shooting Stars look really pretty when they fall?" He grimly chuckled, smiling even more. Mabel's friends seemed to be frozen in shock. Except for Pacifica who instantly slapped Dipper across the face. 

"Shut up! You horrid beast! Get out of Dipper's body or so help me-" Pacifica snapped, shoving Mabel protectively behind her. 

"You'll do what? Sue me? Pacifica Elise Northwest, you'll never change. Your family have been pawns in my game for centuries. Do you really think you could change that?" Dipper chuckled, jabbing Pacifica in her chest.

Suddenly the door burst open and Stan ran in with a chair raised. He whacked it against Dipper's head. Dipper collapsed onto his bed, unconscious. Stan stood there for a moment, complete silence causing the tension in the room to grow. 

“Is he dead or something?” Pacifica asked, pointing at his unmoving body. Stan just sheepishly shrugged unsure. Dipper stirred a second later, groaning in pain as he raised his hand to his head. "Owwwwww… " He moaned. “What was that for?” Dipper whined, blinking a few times.

“I can confirm. He is not dead!” Stan confirmed, frowning as he helped Dipper sit up. “What’s going on? I heard you kids screaming and then I saw Dipper here all yellow-eyed.” Stan pulled out a can of Pitt Cola from his pocket and pressed it against the small bump on Dipper’s skull. “Don’t have any ice. Ford used it all up with his latest experiment. That should do, kid. Now, the rest of you explain.” Stan crossed his arms, suddenly looking stern. 

“Bill! He was trying to take over Dipper!” Candy shouted, her voice thick with her Korean accent. 

“He threatened Mabel!” Grenda shouted so loud it caused the attic to shake. Dipper didn’t seem confused, rather he was faintly smiling. The smile was only a flash, it vanishing soon after. The only person to notice was Pacifica who held her tongue while she stared at Dipper in suspicion.

“Dammit. I knew this was going to happen the moment I coughed up blood!” Dipper snapped, frustrated. 

“Hey kid, it ain’t no one’s fault but that damn triangle. Now, you should all get back to bed, it’s one in the morning and I need my beauty sleep too!” Stan smiled as he spoke, fondness and worry appearing in his voice. 

“Alright, Grunkle Stan.” Mabel mumbled with a yawn. Her friends nodding in agreement, slipping back into their sleeping bags. Dipper placed the can down, flicking the lamp off as he heard Mabel crawling into her bed. He lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling with a wide smile stretching across his face. They had fallen for it.

* * *

**Ehzduh wkh fklog'v olhv,**  
**Ehzduh wkh idwh kh kdv vhzq.**  
 **Uxqqlqj iurp wkh wuxwk,**  
 **Klglqj ehklqg idovlilhg idfwv**  
 **Wkdw kh fdqqrw khos exw whoo.**  
 **Khdyhq zloo idoo dqg wkh vnb zloo udlq iluh,**  
 **zkhq wkh Ghprq Nlqg ulvhv rqfh pruh.**

 


	12. Lost But Not Forgotten.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's tricky moving past what's happened.

Dipper walked outside onto the patio to see Grunkle Stan beside a large RV. It was only the next morning, the sleepover incident still fresh in their minds. Although, Mabel, Candy, Pacifica and Grenda both shrugged it off. The RV was old and covered in bumper stickers as Soos stood on top, strapping something down to the roof of the vehicle. ”Nice. And don't forget bug spray! It's perfect for spraying in the face of hitchhikers.” Stan said to Mabel as she passed carrying a box.

“Whoa. An RV? Camping gear? Are you running from the law again?” Dipper questioned, spotting the camping gear.

“Dude! It's the ultimate Oregon road trip adventure!” Soos said, quite enthusiastically from atop the RV. 

“More like _revenge_ trip. Every year my tourist trap competitors prank the Mystery Shack.  Except for last year because of you and your damn apocalypse. Two years ago those hooligans duct taped Soos to the ceiling.” Stan clenched his fist dramatically.

“That was a fun 78 hours.” The handyman said mystically, smiling.

“Well, no more!” Stan pulled something out of his suit, shoving it into Dipper’s hand. It was a map of Oregon’s tourist traps, each one circled in red with crosses on a few of them. “This year we're visiting every tourist trap along the Redwood Highway, and I'm gonna prank back every single one.” 

“Bow wow! Time to let the road dogs _bark_!” Grenda shouted upon arrival, Candy and Pacifica following behind her.

“That is us. We are the road dogs.” Candy said with mild amusement.

“Ew! There’s a bug in my hair again!” Pacifica screamed, trying to pry a bug that had become caught in her hair. Candy simply picked it from the girl's hair was a smile.

“Thanks for letting me bring Pacifica, Candy and Grenda along for our road trip, Grunkle Stan.” Mabel thanked, her friends rushing into the RV instantly. 

“The more the merrier. Just sign these non-disclosure agreements. None of your parents are lawyers, right?” He shoved legal documents into their hands with a wink. He followed after the girls as he talked more about the other tourist traps to Mabel’s friends. Dipper watched with mild amusement, Soos jumping down from the RV before landing beside him. 

“What do ya say, dude? You comin'?” Soos asked, fixing his hat.

“I already went to the trouble of packing all your stuff. Even the stuff you kept in that secret box under the bed.” Mabel said as she walked past with a box labelled, ‘ _Dipper’s. Do Not Touch.’_ Dipper’s face turned bright red as she dropped the box onto the ground, drawings and pictures of Bill and Weirdmageddon tumbling out. “Whoa. What the...? Ugh, _what's that?”_

“Uh, nothing! Just...Bill stuff...from old times.” He mumbled, gathering them up in the box again as he awkwardly sweated.

“ _Ughh.”_ Both Soos and Mabel groaned, Mabel placing a hand on her forehead. “Bro, I thought you were finally past all this. He’s trying to take over your body for crying out loud.”

“Ahh, I know, I know! I know he’s trying to do stuff and I know it's over, but how do you just turn off the way you feel about someone?” Dipper mumbled, staring at the ground as he held his box. 

“Two words, Dipper. Move. On.” Mabel stated, holding up her fingers. If only they knew. Dipper thought. 

“Yeah, dude. And a road trip's the perfect place to meet new people.” Soos urged as Mabel got onto the RV. Dipper looked at his box before looking at Soos who still stood in the doorway. He smiled, walking forward and onto the metal deathtrap.

/(I)\

“Man, RVs are amazing. I can't believe we're sitting at a table in a moving vehicle!” Grenda shouted, slamming her hands against the table causing Pacifica to flinch. 

“Ooh! Informational travel pamphlets.” Candy sighed. She pressed the pamphlets against her cheeks. 

“I want to read them all and gain their travel knowledge!” Pacifica stated. She seemed intrigued, as if she had never been on a road trip before.

“Kid, those useless pamphlets have never helped a single person. The only wrinkly old travel guide you'll need is me. Now, look alive! We're coming up on an attraction run by the most black-hearted proprietor in all of Oregon.” Stan grimly said, Dipper laughing from his spot nearby. He glanced out the window and there was a sign saying ‘ _Granny Sweetkin's Yarnball_ ’. 

“Uh Grunkle Stan, I thought you said they were black-hearted but this place-” Dipper began, pointing out the obvious as the van shuttered to a stop.

“Don't let the face fool you. This woman lit my car on fire on two non-consecutive occasions.” Stan said with absolute seriousness. Dipper laughed, following them out of the RV, Stan right behind him. There was a massive multi-coloured ball of yawn although the thing that startled Dipper was the figure glancing around from the woollen object.

“Woah!” Dipper and the girls all stated. 

“I'm going in, girls. Waaah.” Mabel screamed in joy as she jumped in, the girls following after her. Dipper slowly approached the figure that was lurking around. A small teenage male looked at him intently from a distance. He had black hair that was sticking out in places, a purple hoodie covering his body along with a pair of simple jeans and sneakers. He looked around Dipper’s age.

“Okay. Like Soos said, meet new people. So why not approach the teenage kid who’s staring at me weirdly?” He mumbled to himself. “Uh hi. I’m-”

“You're Dipper Pines aren’t you?” The kid said with a smirk, holding out his hand in greeting. “Tad, Tad Strange.” 

And then a small bubble of knowledge just popped in Dipper's brain, spraying him with information."Nope. Not dealing with your shit today, Tad." Dipper knocked the boy's hand away with an unamused snarl. “What’s a demon like you doing around here?” He was hissing under his breath, unknown hate coating it. 

"And there's the Bill that I remember." Tad placed a hand on his hip as his clothing changed to that of an old Englishman’s. Rather than a black suit, it was purple. 

"Am I right in assuming they cannot hear or see this?" Dipper motioned to his family which were worming their way through the yarn ball. 

"You would be correct on saying that. All they see is you attempting to flirt with another teenager, Bill." Tad chuckled, clearly amused by Dipper's flustered face.

"Dipper. I go by Dipper now, Tad. Your wise behind should know that. Now get to the point." He snapped, tapping his foot against the ground in frustration.

“Alright, fine, _Dipper_ ,” Tad said his name with a trace of malice as if the name itself was too odd or too simplistic and it deserved to teased for such. “The Nightmare Realm is in an uproar since _Bill_ has been gone. Due to the fact that you are _Bill_ now in essence, the High Council sent me to request your return. We haven’t forgotten what you promised.” Dipper’s left eye changed from chestnut brown to yellow and slitted in a matter of seconds.

“One, Bill promised it and all I have now is his knowledge. And two, why would I want to return to that hell-hole? I’ve got it good here, Tad. A body, a physical form thanks to that Axolotl and how easy he was to trick. And me? Although I want that title as much as Bill does, I’m not that gullible. So go back to the Nightmare Realm and tell them I’ll return when the world burns.” Dipper snapped, frustrated and pissed off.

"But they're threatening another civil war! The Nightmare Realm-"

"Can deal with its own problems. I've got my own problems to deal with Tad." Dipper snarled, his eyes glowing an ominous yellow.  

The radio in his pocket began to buzz, Stan’s voice coming through the small device _. ’Dipper, hup to! This ball a' yarn ain't gonna prank itself.’_

“I’ll see you around, Tad.” Dipper walked away without a second thought, his left eye shifting to normal as he grabbed the stray end of the ball of yarn with slight glee. He looped it around the bumper of the RV. He let loose a small sigh as he tightened the knot.

“Something on your mind, kiddo? You're thinking about mister cold shoulder over there, huh?” Stan jerked a finger towards the figure of Tad. And then Dipper gained an idea as he watched Tad disappear into the gift shop.

“Ahh, I'm so embarrassed. Look, last year I ruined my chances with Bill and practically anyone.” Dipper said, a false tone of sadness filling his voice. 

“Heh, yeah. Chances.” Stan rolled his eyes, awkwardly chuckling. 

“And I wanna move on, but I'm terrible at talking to girls let alone guys. The moment I open my mouth around them I unravel like...like...well, I can't think of a perfect metaphor, but you get the gist. At this rate, I'm going to grow up to be a sad loner like Toby Determined.” As he spoke, he spun his hands around to show his point.

“Whoa. Never say that about yourself. Lucky for you I'm an expert on women. It might work for guys too, ya know? Listen to me, kid. When it comes to girls or guys always be confident. And be funny, but not too funny. And be kinda annoying but in a lovable way.” Stan explained, patting Dipper on the shoulder.

“I don't know, Grunkle Stan. This sounds kinda jerky.” Dipper didn’t seem content at what his great uncle was saying.

“Hey, jerky is just a term non-jerks use to bad mouth innocent jerks. Confidence, comedy, some third word starting with a C. The three Cs of the Stan Pines dating technique! At the next tourist trap, try out my advice on the first guy or girl you see.” Stan said with confidence radiating from his voice.

“Cool. Grunkle Stan, thanks.” Dipper smiled as Stan cupped his hand around his mouth before shouting.

“Hey, I'm full a good ideas. Speakin' of which, everyone! Now!” The old man shouted as everyone ran into the RV. They drove away, the ball of yarn trailing behind them. An old lady ran out of the gift shop, fist raised as she grabbed a giant knitting needle. 

“Why, you gall darn son of a no good.” She screamed, throwing the needle at the RV. “I'll get you, Stan Pines!”

/(I)\

The RV slowly stopped outside an upside down house, a large wheel with carpeting outside the building. “Ah, Upside-Down Town. The nausea capital of the state. Whatever you do, don't use the bathrooms.” Stan stated as the RV shuttered to a stop, everyone instantly getting out. They all rushed to the circular wheel, sticking on shoes with Velcro on the bottom. Dipper slipped his pair on, watching as his sister and her friends let loose giggles. Dipper followed after them as they stepped onto the carpeted wheel. The world turned upside down, Dipper stepping lightly as he was stuck to the ceiling. He walked into the building, spotting a girl looking out a window while taking photos. Stan’s voice echoed through his head like a cliche in a movie. He slowly approached her.

“Hi, I'm Dipper. Crazy place, right?” He spoke, pointing in the general area around them. The girl laughed in reply. She was pale with brown to blonde hair and freckles.

“Oh, hi. I'm Emma Sue. Cool eye, by the way, you get cool contacts at one of the other places?” She greeted with a smile.

“Uh yeah. At the Mystery Shack. Cool place.” Dipper lied, knowing how difficult it could be if he explained it otherwise. 

“You know, if you pretend we're right side up, it looks like everyone's hair is standing on end.” She chuckled. Dipper suddenly got an idea.

“Huh. Yeah, weird, right? Pretend you're screaming.” He asked, chuckling.

“Okay. You gotta take a picture of me, though.” Emma passed over her phone as she undid her hair. She let loose a small scream and Dipper took her photo. 

“Let's see about-whoa!” Dipper let go of her phone before rapidly catching it. “Huh-hoh, just kidding.” He let loose a laugh.

“You are the worst.” She laughed too, punching Dipper softly in the arm.

“You bet I am. I'm bad, Emma. Kind of a jerk.” Dipper said smugly, bursting out into laughter afterwards.

“Emma, get the heck away from that boy! He’s the one who started that apocalypse.” A man shouted from a distance. Emma glanced at Dipper confused. 

“It's a long story.” Dipper sighed, placing his hand into his pockets with a sigh. 

“Maybe you could tell me sometime. I know full well that the news tends to blow things up. Here's my email address. Write to me and you can tell me all about it.” Emma pulled out a marker, writing it down on Dipper’s left arm. She walked away with a small wave. He walked towards the gift shop, filled with pride.

“A girl gave me her email. And it wasn't out of pity! Haha! Yes!” He jumped up, landing on his back in the gift shop. Mabel looked at him as he helped himself up. His twin stood on the ground, the only one still on the ceiling being Grenda. “I'm okay. I'm better than okay. Mabel, hi. There's my Grenda. Candy, looking great, looking great. Is that a new pair of glasses? Very shiny. Looking lovely Pacifica! I like your hair.” Dipper didn’t seem to notice the blushing on Pacifica’s cheeks. “Hahaha. Wooo!” He exited the gift shop with a smile on his face. 

“Maybe it's the blood pooling in my head, but Dipper seems different.” Grenda groaned as her forehead turned purple from the blood rushing to her head.

“Yes. Good different.” Candy mumbled. 

“Agreed,” Pacifica said. Dipper overheard their comments, shrugging them off. He heard Stan shouting something as the tourist trap in front of him began to tilt as someone, who seemed to be the owner, ran outside. It landed right-side up.

“Not so upside-down now!” Stan laughed as everyone got onto the RV. 

Dipper overheard someone saying something as he shut the door. “What a lovely normal home!” The owner fell to his knees, clenching his hands closed.

“Stan Pines!” He yelled as the RV vanished down the road. Dipper sat down next to Stan as the old man drove. He looked at the email drawn on his arm with a slight smile.

“I can't believe it worked. What do I do now? Do I e-mail her?” He mumbled, looking up at Stan.

“No, no, no. You practice. The more girls, or boys in your case, you talk to, the better you get at it.” Stan said with deep pride. “And that's just the tip of the advice-berg.” 

/(I)\

Dipper continued to flirt with a bunch of other girls and boys as they continued to prank the different locations. Dipper stood in the corn maze, a boy he had just flirted with walking away. The cornwall nearby moved as a figure stepped out. What startled him was the fact that the creature was not human nor was it a monster. It was a demon. More demons appeared behind it, pointing at Dipper intently. Mabel stood nearby, seemingly oblivious to the demons surround them.

“What do you want?!” Dipper hissed, his voice a whisper. The group just pointed at him. Dipper felt his hands growing clammy as they stared at him. 

“Kids, c’mon! Everyone on board?” Stan shouted as everyone else boarded on the RV. Dipper rapidly ran on behind Mabel.

“Probably.” Mabel shrugged as Dipper shut the door, glancing out at the demons that watched them leave. He knew full well why they were there and why only he could see them. Tad wasn’t done with trying to get him back.

/(I)\

Dipper held his arms up high, lowering himself gently into the hot tub where his great uncle sat. He felt the bubbly yet hot water stinging his skin as he sat down. “So then I said to the bouncer, ‘Where's your ID, ugly?’” Stan continued the story he was telling, pointing to a scar under his right arm. _”_ That's where I got _this_ scar.”

Dipper let loose a laugh. “Grunkle Stan, I gotta say this was one of the best days ever. Look!” He showed his arms, each covered in phone numbers and emails, most of them written on his left arm. Dipper fiddled with his can a second later.

“That's the Stan Pines method, kid. Works every time.” Dipper’s smile fell. 

“I'm just a little worried, though. I mean is it bad to flirt with this many people at once? I'm just tryin'a get over Bill. I don't wanna hurt anyone's feelings.” Stan let loose a sigh, taking a sip of his Pitt Cola before speaking.

“Please. That's the best part 'a flirting on a road trip. You're not gonna see any of these gals or guys again. To moving on!” Stan raised his drink in a toast but Dipper didn’t return it. 

“Grunkle Stan, have you ever done anything you wish you could tell people about but its really risk too?” His voice was meek and small, a shadow of something in it.

“Kid, your talking to a man who spent thirty years impersonating his twin. Can’t get riskier than that, can’t it?” Stan joked, pointing at his chest.

“I may have done something.” Dipper began, staring down at his almost empty soda.

“Spill,” Stan stated, crushing his can against the side of the hot tub before picking up another Pitt Cola from nearby. 

“I made a deal with Bill. A mental deal.” Dipper spoke, Stan spitting up his drink as he stared silently at Dipper. 

“Y-You... W-what?!” Stan spluttered, coughing once before regaining his posture.

“We made a deal. Coughing up blood meant my body was killing itself. I’d either die or live, not in between. We couldn’t co-exist as two so we decided to become one.” Dipper explained with a shrug. Stan just looked frightened and confused. “Oh don’t look at me like that. I couldn’t just die and leave Mabel alone. So what if I made another deal with the devil?” Dipper looked down at his can again, silence covering them. 

“Kid.” Stan sighed, rubbing his forehead. “Why do you keep making it worse?" 

"You’re kidding me, right? So you'd rather I die than live with Bill?!" Dipper was shouting now. 

"That's not what I meant, Dipper. What would Ford say? How did you think Mabel will react? Did you really think this through?" Stan elaborated.

"I dunno. They won't leave me alone though." Dipper said, earning another confused look. "Oh. The demons. Don't worry, the can’t interact with reality." Dipper shrugged it off as if was nothing.

“Kid, you just keep getting deeper into trouble don’t you?” Stan seemed concerned. There was sudden screaming in the distance. “Man, coyotes sound a lot worse than I remember.”

“Grunkle Stan, trust me, nothing has changed at all. I swear it.” Dipper used his arms to emphasise his point. “Just don’t tell anyone what we talked about, please.” Stan stared at Dipper for a few minutes.

“Alright. Just promise if anythin’ happens you tell me before it gets worse.” Stan nodded, sighing once more. Dipper smiled faintly, tracing a finger across the runes on his arm for a second. 

* * *

**Irujhg iurp vwduv,**  
**Irujhg lq eoxh iodphv,**  
 **D vrxo vorzob ehfrplqj fruuxswhg eb idovh vwrulhv dqg olhv.**  
 **Eh fduhixo zkr brx eholhyh**  
 **Dqg zkr'v vlgh brxu rq.**  
 **Wkh Ghprq Nlqj zloo uhwxuq,**  
 **Eb irufh ru**  
 **Eb fkrlfh,**  
 **Zh kdyh qr ixwxuh.**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N This chapter and the following chapter has text, plot and lines taken from 'Roadside Attraction'


	13. A Small Spark.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It all begins with a spark.

Dipper stirred awake, his back bumping against his seat as he jolted from his sleep. He groggily groaned, rubbing his eyes. He had fallen asleep again, hadn’t he? He heard Stan’s voice as it grew threateningly loud. “Alright, campers. We got another day 'a breakin' laws and breakin' hearts. Everything up until now has been a walk in the park compared to our next attraction.”

“Is it a walk in the world's biggest park?” Mabel chirped from her seat nearby. 

“Eh, sort of. There she is, kids. Mystery Mountain. Five times the size of the Mystery Shack, and what's worse: she has real attractions.” Stan said with bitterness. 

“Oh! I have read about this place. It has a sky tram. And a mummy museum. And sightings of half human, half spider creatures.” Pacifica stated, holding up a pamphlet she had read. Stan scoffed.

“Even their made up legends are better than ours. Today, the mountain _falls_.” Stan clenched his fist as his voice was filled with vengeance. Mabel smirked before speaking. 

“Question. The back seat makes me car sick. Can I sit up front today?” Mabel asked Grenda butting in a second later. 

“Also question. I'm the size of two people. Can I have a whole seat to myself?” The teenager shouted.

“Me too?” Candy asked, sheepishly with her friends.

“Eh, I don't know, sure.” Stan just shrugged. Mabel darted from her seat until she was in front of Dipper. 

“Whooo! Change up!” She yelled in his face as she pushed Dipper out of the seat and into the back seat.

“But wait! That means it'll just be me and-” Dipper turns to see Pacifica sitting there, her face completely flushed. “Mabel.” Dipper hissed, narrowing his eyes as an awkward silence fell between the two of them. Grenda giggled with Mabel as she moved a curtain over the back seat. Dipper sighed, rubbing his temple as he did up his seat belt. 

“So, Dipper. I was wondering, would you maybe want to walk around the Mystery Mountain with me today?” Pacifica was fiddling with her skirt, clearly looking nervous.

“Ssssure, I mean, wasn't that already the plan?” Dipper knew where this was going and he didn’t exactly like that.

“No. I mean like me and you. Ugh, how did Mabel say to do this?” Pacifica trailed off, whispering to herself. 

“Uh. Sure?” Dipper said, confused at her sudden interest in him. The vehicle jolted to a stop, Pacifica instantly unbuckling her seat belt. 

“Alright, road dogs! I got five bucks for whoever can tip the big blue ox! Go, go, go!” Stan shouted as he ushered the girls out. 

“I will see you in there!” Pacifica giggled, running off after her friends. Dipper sighed, burying his face into his hands.

“Hey, what's up with the mopey mug, kid?” Stan asked, elbowing Dipper as the teenager looked up.

“Stan! You gotta help me! Everything you taught me worked _too_ well! I think Paz just asked me out on a date!” Dipper leant against the RV, dragging his fingers through his hair.

“He-hey!” Stan playfully punched Dipper on the shoulder. “Look at this little champion!” He laughed with a grin. 

“What? No! I-I mean, Paz's great, she's sweet and she's smart, but I've never thought of her like _that!_ Th-th-this is all moving way too fast.” He narrowed his eyes, frustrated. “Okay. I just need to be honest with her and tell her I-I'm not _ready_ for all this. Not with what’s going on.”

“Don't you see what's happening here? That's your dumb obsession with Bill gettin' in the way of your future! If you wanna move on, you've gotta say yes to whatever comes your way." Stan shouted, only just loud enough for Dipper to hear. 

"In case you forgot, Fez, Bill is me now." Dipper hissed, pointing a finger at himself as his eyes glowed an eerie yellow. Both of them. "Don't you dare slander him in front of me. So why don't you go back to flirting with every young woman you meet?" 

Stan seemed frustrated. He glanced over his shoulder at the woman standing in the ticket booth. "I just might! Watch and learn." He walked up to the ticket booth, patting his suit in search of something. "Oh, I seem to have lost my number! Can I borrow _yours?"_ His voice had a hint of flirtiness in it.

"You are a _riot!_ What brings you here? We don't normally get men this handsome around these parts." The woman flirted back, her false tan visible due to rings around her eyes. No one got a tan this quickly in summer, Dipper knew that much. 

"Heheh. Well," Stan paused looking at the woman's name tag. " _Darlene,_ between you and me, what I'm doing here is a little secret."

"Oh, you seem like a man with secrets." Darlene giggled flirtatiously, flapping her hand around as the two laughed.

"Ugh. You, humans, are disgusting." Dipper mumbled under his breath, disgusted by his great uncle's attempt at seduction.

“You know, I'm going on a break. You wanna take the sky tram up to Widow's Peak?” Darlene suggested, pointing up the winding path upwards. 

“Take my advice or don't, but _clearly_ I know what I'm doing,” Stan whispered, instantly taking the woman’s arm as he leads her up the path.

“Oh, fancy!” She cooed, giggling as they vanished from sight.

/(I)\

Dipper willed himself not to panic as he walked beside Pacifica and up the hill. She was oddly close, Dipper seemingly uncomfortable by the alteration. They entered a cave-like exhibit, the banner, ‘ _New Mummies Daily_ ’ stretched across and in between the two containers that held the mummies. Dipper sat down on the bench in the centre, mindlessly tracing a finger across the marks on his arm. “This place is so enchanting,” Pacifica spoke, glancing at the dusty cobwebs. 

“Sort of confused by the phrase ‘ _New Mummies Daily,_ ’ though. I mean, how does that even work?” Dipper pondered aloud, intrigued.

“This mountain is full of mysteries. My parents would never want me to be in a place like this if they knew.” Pacifica let out a sigh, resting her chin on her closed fist.

“Pacifica, why do you listen to them?” 

“Because I’m a Northwest. And I have to be better. I mean, it doesn’t mean I like what they say but they’re my parents.” She confessed, lifting her legs up so that they were on the bench. She was hugging her knees now, fiddling with her long blonde hair. Dipper placed a hand on her shoulder as she frowned.

“Just because you’re your parent’s daughter, it doesn’t mean you can’t be different,” Dipper said sincerely. “You truly are a unique Northwest, Pacifica.” 

“Thanks Dipper.” She was smiling now, her frown gone.

“Oh, Dipper! Hey!” A voice said a teenage boy emerged from the shadows. Dipper let loose a gasp as he realized who it was.

“Corn Maze Boy!” He hissed under his breath. He sat down on the bench, scotting closer to Dipper.

“I was wondering when you'd call.” He stated, smiling.

“Dipper, who is this?” Paz asked, confusion and slight surprise coating her voice. Dipper began to panic.

“Nobody! I mean, uh, _somebody,_ but-” Dipper spluttered out, a burning sensation in his arm beginning to grow.

“Dipper!” Another voice said, Emma Sue, walking forward from the shadows on the left side. “I didn't recognize you right-side up. You'll never guess what happened after we left. Hey, who are these people?” She questioned, looking at everyone gathered around Dipper. Dipper felt the burning sensation in his arm turn into a powerful pain. He gripped it tightly, willing himself not to lose control despite his currently wild emotions.

“Dipper?” Another teenage boy said while peaking out from the corner of the display, his log themed hat portraying who he was in an instant. “Why haven't you called? Did our romantic log ride mean nothing to you?” 

“I can't believe it. You agreed to go on a date with me and you were seeing all these other people?” Pacifica sobbed out, clearly upset. Dipper was feeling a mix of anger, surprise and sadness at this sudden development.

“Well, answer us. Which one of us _do_ you like?” One of them shouted, angry.

“I…” Dipper began but froze. His hand began to become slick with blood and he rushed to grab something to clean it. The others looked at him with disgust and confusion. “I l-l-like all of you! I mean, I-I don't like any of y-y-you! I m-m-m-mean-” He stuttered, pressing a tissue against his arm. He sighed in defeat, glancing down.

“Unbelievable.” “Disgusting.” “What a jerk.” They all mumbled, walking away in disgust. 

“Dipper Pines.” Pacifica coldly stated. “I thought you were a nice guy. But I guess you only care about yourself.”

“Paz! It’s not like that, I swear! Please just listen to me. Yes, Bill is inside of me but I’m over him. I really was trying to get back into the game. I just don’t want to hurt your feelings. I’m sorry Pacifica. It’s just that a lot of things are happening right now and-”

“It’s alright… “ She mumbled, fiddling with her hair again.

“Can we just be friends? Please?” Dipper said, placing a hand on her knee. 

“I’d like that.” Suddenly Dipper was being hugged and he froze up, startled. He glanced back at his arm, completely forgetting the bleeding.

“Oh yeah. That.” He pulled the now stained tissues off, tossing them into a nearby bin a second later. 

“Are you alright?” She sounded concerned.

“Yeah. Yeah. I am…. “ Dipper trailed off as he glanced at his fingers with surprise. It was small, tiny yet bright. A small blue flame danced on Dipper’s finger tips. “What the?” He mumbled, wiggling the fingers below it. 

“Wait what?!” Paz seemingly did a double take, staring in fear at the magical fire.

“I dunno!” He shouted, waving his hand around to get rid of the fire. As suddenly as it appeared, the flame died, leaving a confused Dipper and a frightened Pacifica. 

“What was that?!” Paz screamed. Dipper suddenly grabbed onto both of her shoulders, pressing his face close.

“You can’t tell anyone!” He hissed, fear evident in his voice. 

“You need to tell me what’s happening! I don’t care if it’s bad because I want an explanation now!” She was yelling, loudly. The walkie-talkie in Dipper’s pocket buzzed as static came through. He raised a finger up, silencing Pacifica as he spoke into it. 

“Grunkle Stan?” There was static for a second before a voice finally came through. ‘ _Heeey, buddy boy. So remember how we were talking about my technique? Well, sometimes it leads to unexpected consequences.’_ Stan’s voice stated. 

“Yeah. And do you remember how I said it won’t lead to good things? Where _are_ you?” Dipper snapped as Pacifica let lose a small chuckle. 

 _‘The good news is, I've solved the mystery of where Oregon's mummies come from. The bad news is......I'm about to become one. Turns out Darlene is one of those spider people. But beyond that, the date's been okay.’_ Dipper did a double take, slamming the palm of his hand against his forehead. 

“Wait, wait, wait. Darlene's a spider person?! How is that _possible?”_ He was confused and interested even more.

_‘I don't know. One minute we're having the perfect date, and the next minute she's growing extra legs and encasing me in webbing. Women, right?’_

“You couldn't tell she was a spider?!” Pacifica shouted into the device. 

 _‘I was blinded by flattery! Also, this acid she spit in my face. I'm up the mountain at Widow's Peak.’_ Dipper turned to Pacifica and nodded. She instantly darted from her spot, calling out to Candy, Grenda and Mabel. 

“Alright, We’ll gonna find you. Stay put!” Dipper said, fist clenched as he held back a sudden stream of emotion. 

 _‘...You got it.’_ The radio crackled off, Dipper instantly running out to find the girls already gathered. 

“Right. To Widow’s Peak. I’ve got a plan.” He said, pointing towards the morbid looking mountain in front of them. 

/(I)\

“Mr. Pines!” Grenda shouted as they entered the cave. Mildew coated the walls among thick amounts of webbing. Skeletons wrapped in spider’s web were dangling everywhere, an arm dangling near Dipper’s face. They ran inside, ignoring the dried husks of human remains as they spotted Stan.

“Whoa, did that really work?” Stan shouted, turning in their direction. They began to tear at the cobwebs, the sticky stuff tight around Stan. “Quick! Before the rest of the venom sets in!” They freed Stan, Mabel grabbing Stan’s hand as they ran out of the cave. Dipper stood there, staring in the direction of Darlene. “Kid c’mon!” Stan shouted, trying to usher him away. Dipper turned around with a snarl. 

“I have a plan. Just run!” He growled, eyes flaring a dangerous yellow. Stan became startled, allowing Grenda to pull him away as Dipper turned towards the monster. 

“No! Where are you?” She screamed when she emerged from deep inside her nest. The spider woman burst forward, enraged. Dipper rubbed his hands together, a slight smile appearing on his lips. Darlene froze, pulling her skin body over. “Oh! What are you doing here, kid? Didn’t you know this place is dangerous?” She instantly turned to acting, pretending that she wasn’t about to consume Dipper’s great uncle.

“I have the right to believe that you’ve been killing these people.” He motioned to the skeletons. “I love it.” She seemed to have noticed something, instantly changing her emotions as she tore of her skin and revealing her true form. She hissed at Dipper, baring her fangs as she spat acid. Dipper just stepped to the side, the acid splashing against the ground as it melted a rock. He wasn’t fazed by it. “What is a creature like you doing in this dimention?!” Darlene snapped.

“What? Haven’t you got the news or the internet around here, _Darlene_?” Dipper chuckled, taunting her. It was fun, Dipper had to admit that. He snapped his fingers, becoming giddy when blue flames appeared in his fingertips. “It’s hard keeping a secret isn’t?”

/(I)\

“We’ve gotta get back in there! Dipper is still in there!” Mabel screamed. Pacifica nodded, taking Mabel’s outstretched hand as they both ran into the fray, leaving everyone else behind. They froze in the entrance of the cave, eyes wide at the sight in front of them. Dipper sat, cross-legged as he dangling upside down on the ceiling. The burnt remains of Darlene were crusted on the ground among the skeletons. “W-What happened?” Mabel spluttered out, frightened. Dipper grabbing onto the ceiling, lowering himself down. 

“Nothing. Don’t worry about it.” Dipper shrugged it off, grabbing onto Mabel’s shoulders as he turned her away from the scene. “Let’s get back to the RV.” Stan ran forward, looking concerned. 

“You alright, kid?” Stan instant checked Dipper for any marks, cuts and bruises. The only thing he could see were the burns on the tips of Dipper’s fingers that the teen didn’t seem to notice. “Dipper.” Stan said, his voice hardening. “What did I say?” 

“It hasn’t gotten worse!” He shouted back, beginning to argue back. “As if you know what’s good for me! Without me, that beast wouldn’t be DEAD!!” 

“I DIDN’T ASK YOU TO MURDER SOMETHING, KID!” Stan was angry. 

“AND I DIDN’T ASK YOU TO PRY INTO MY LIFE! AND I SURE DIDN’T ASK YOU TO GO AFTER THAT SLUT!” He swore, scoffing as his voice gained volume.

“Hey! Stop yelling!” Mabel screamed, trying to tear Dipper away from Stan. 

“This is my problem!! Get out of it, Shooting Star!” Dipper snapped, slapping Mabel across the face. Dipper froze, looking at Mabel and then his hand as everyone else gasped in surprise. Without a word, he bolted down the hill and into the tree-line. 

“Dipper-!” Mabel tried to call back, ignoring the tears running down her cheeks. Stan grabbed her shoulder. 

“Just let him go, Sweetie. Let him cool off.” Stan said, his voice laced with concern.

/(I)\

Dipper stamped his foot against the ground, snapping a tree branch before he punched a nearby tree. Small sparks flew around his feet, scorching the ground around them. He was a fool, thinking that he could control it. That he could control himself. He was nothing but a reckless… child. A child with uncontrollable emotions and too much power. Dipper stopped punching the tree, staring at his now bruised hands. He had hurt his sister. He had hurt the one person who had actually stay by his side. “I’m such an idiot.” Dipper slid to the ground, his back against the tree as he gripped his knees. “I knew this was going to happen and I still slapped her. Why did I agree to this?” Dipper was crying now, the flames dying as he cried for the first time since Bill’s first death. 

He glanced up to the sky, the sun setting in the distance. He could see it, the light dancing through the silhouetted trees as it faded and was replaced by an orange tableau. Is this what fate has lead him to? Crying alone in the forest? Dipper felt desperate. He knew full well that Mabel and Stan would never forgive him. He had just murdered someone without thinking. He had buried himself in a hole, unable to clinging on anymore or dig himself out as fate dragged him deeper into the horrid tasting earth. It was draining, really. To keep himself stable. Humans were creatures built on rational thoughts and emotions. Emotions tended to be the driving force in almost every situation. It was a flaw he couldn’t get rid of even if he tried. Dipper hugged his legs tightly, ignoring the environment around him. “I’ve made it worse. Again.”

“Well, I can fix that!” A voice said from above. Dipper rose his head to see Tad dangling from a tree branch.

* * *

**Udlvh d jodvv wr iuhhgrp**

**Vrphwklqj wkhb fdq qhyhu wdnh dzdb**

**Qr pdwwhu zkdw wkhb whoo brx**

**Udlvh d jodvv wr wkh irxu ri xv**

**Wrpruurz wkhuh'oo eh pruh ri xv**

**Whoolqj wkh vwrub ri wrqljkw**

 


	14. The Demon King.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liberation and freedom, all things some strive for.

“What do you want, Tad?” Dipper mumbled, refusing to move from his tight position. 

“Oh. Just you and your answer.” Tad replied, dropping down from his spot before landing nearby. 

“I’ve already-”

“They’ll kill anyone to get you to join, Dipper. You know that, don’t you?” Tad interrupted, sitting down on a rock and crossing his legs. “I mean, they won’t go to the lengths to kidnap anyone, that’s too much of an effort.”

“And letting you become physical isn’t? So what? As long as I’m around, the only thing hurting my family-”

“Is you. You know how to stop it, kid. You may only possess a fragment of Bill’s power but it’s still there. And it’s growing! I saw it. Look, I know Bill and I never saw eye to eye but at least I can understand that you're a different person despite being Bill’s newest form. I’ve been watching and I realise that. Listen,” Tad was sitting beside Dipper now, placing a hand gently on the teen’s shoulder. “I honestly don’t want to see innocent people getting harmed.” 

“I thought all demons hated humans.” Dipper bit his lip, teary-eyed. 

“Pfff. Is every human good and innocent? I didn’t think so. Kid, your fate has been re-written and it’s path changed. You need to accept it otherwise it will kill you.”

“At what cost, Tad? Sure, I know almost everything in the universe but I can’t tell the future, I can’t predict people’s actions no matter how much I know them. I can’t even predict what I’ll do half the time. Sure, I’ve got Bill’s flames and his knowledge but at what cost? People didn’t trust me before and now I’ve only added fuel to the flames.” He rambled on, glancing down at his arm. “I don’t even have his memories. Only bleak fragments.”

“Sure, those kids were cruel, but in the Nightmare Realm, you’ll be a king!” Tad stated, stroking Dipper’s hair like Bill used to. “Bill was the king and your his successor.”

“I didn’t know that part,” Dipper mumbled, wide-eyed.

“Do you want to reclaim the throne, kid?” Tad rose from his spot, holding out a hand. Dipper’s mind wandered back to Bill’s statue, the tophat that had crumbled into a crown. It was if fate was telling him he didn’t have any other choice but to accept.

“I’ll do it, Tad. On one condition.”

“What condition?” Tad seemed confused, his human form portraying surprise. 

“You need to give me an advisor. Bill may know how to do this but I don’t, Tad. I just have his basic knowledge. I don’t know everything yet even if I say so. Because, to be honest, even Bill didn’t know what was going on all the time. How do you think my Great Uncle Ford defeated him? Tad, I need an advisor and we all know that I’d rather have you than anyone else from that hell-hole.” Dipper spat, pointing a finger downwards. 

“DIPPER!” A voice shouted through the trees, Dipper instantly recognising it to be Mabel.

“It’s a deal,  _ King  _ Dipper,” Tad said with a smirk, before snapping his fingers and vanishing. Mabel burst through the trees and the thorn bush in front of her. 

“Mabel! I’m so sorry!” Dipper jerked up from his spot, grabbing his twin into a hug. 

“No no no. Dip, I’m sorry. I should have known you’d lie to me. What did I tell you?!” She squeaked, not releasing her grip.

“Was it ‘ _ don’t raise the dead?’ _ Or was it ‘ _ don’t lie? _ ’” Dipper chuckled, sheepishly smiling.

“And what did you do?” She sighed, pointing at his eye.

“I raised the dead and I lied. Mabel, I-” He saw a flicking in the trees, Tad appearing like mist as he raised a finger to his lips. “I think we should get back to the RV. It’s getting late and Grunkle Stan will be worried.” The lie came smoothly, Mabel letting loose a yawn as she nodded. 

“Yeah. Yeah. Just... “ She yawned mid-sentence. “Follow me.” She began to walk in the direction that she came, seemingly obvious to the thorns in her sweater. After about a five minute walk, the sky tram came into view as Stan paced back and forth. He almost dropped the phone he was using to the ground when he saw Dipper. He ran over to him, grabbing the teenager into a tight hug.

“Oh thank god, you're alright. Your parents would have killed me if you went missing. kid!” Stan shouted, the sun almost completely set in the distance. He pulls Mabel and Dipper to the RV, everyone instantly getting onto the vehicle. The girls were already seated, Grenda and Candy passed out when Dipper approached. The RV shuttered on. 

“Uh. Hey.” He awkwardly greeted, fiddling with his fingers for a moment.

“I hope your happy, Dipper,” Pacifica said, her voice as sharp as ice. 

“We need to talk.” Dipper sighed, grabbing her arm. He grabbed Mabel’s arm as well.

“Hey!” She shouted as he dragged her to the backseat, swinging the curtain closed. 

“Dipper! What-” Mabel said. She was shoved into the backseat with a loud thump as her back hit the chair.

“Just listen.” He demanded, grabbing a fistful of his own hair before releasing it. Pacifica sat down with a disgruntled mumble, leaning on her hand. “You want the truth, Mabes? Paz? You want to actual truth?” He pressed, Mabel, looking awkward due to her brother’s behaviour. “I am Bill.” He jerked a finger towards himself as the girls looked at him in complete disbelief. 

“W-What?” Mabel spluttered out. 

“I’m Bill.” He repeated, voice growing colder.

“Is this some kind of sick joke?” 

“Nope. It isn’t a trick either. Check my left eye.” His left eye was completely normal, chestnut brown and narrowed as he talked.

“Dear God. He’s serious.” Pacifica muttered in shock.

“And I know things that couldn’t comprehend. I know a lot of things but I don’t know everything. No one does. Bill sure didn’t.” Dipper chuckled, dragging a hand through his hair as a slightly insane look cross his face. “But that’s beside the point. I uh, made a deal with what was Bill’s ‘ _ soul’ _ in essence.” He did air-quotes around the word, soul. “I was coughing up blood. Not exactly a good sign. I was dying. Legitimately, my body was killing itself to get rid of the infection that was Bill’s magic. So, I found a way out. Who cares if I literary re-wrote my fate.” Dipper’s face turned red as he grew frustrated.

“Dipper-” Mabel began.

 “-Let me continue my story. While you were off helping Grunkle Stan with his revenge, something happened. I mean, a lot has been happening since I took that deal. Did you know that some cats are believed to be allergic to humans? Can you image that? It would be strange don’t you think? Nevermind, while you were busy a single moment sorta changed my entire life. Something, I dunno, wonderful? How would I define that moment? I mean it was-” Dipper was giddy and ecstatic as if he was re-living the moment.

“You're rambling again, Dip’n’dot,” Mabel commented, noticing her brother losing his train of thought. 

“Oh. Oh whoops. Back to what I was saying. Tad approached me. Oh, wait. You don’t know who Tad is, huh? He’s a member of the Demon High Council. They’re like the second in command in the Nightmare Realm. Anyway!”

“Wait. A demon spoke to you? Aren’t they-” Pacifica was the one who commented this time

“-Suppose to be stuck in their dimension? Yes and no. You see, there’s this thing when another demon is physical, they can tie themselves to said demon. Although the only one that can see them is the demon who they're tied to. It’s confusing. Sometimes, if a demon has enough power they can manifest themselves into a form in reality. Real difficult though. It would require months of work and about fifty-two mortal sacrifices. And it only lasts between two hours and twenty four-ish hours.” Dipper was tapping his fingers as he spoke, drifting off into his thoughts. “Geez. They must have wanted me back badly if they took months out of their time just to send Tad. I wonder what kind of sacrifices they were.”

“That’s all oddly specific.” 

“Eh. Demons. What do you expect.” Dipper said with a shrug. “Anyway, Tad approached me, being his aloof self. Bill knew him. Personally. Guy’s a bit of a jerk but whatever. Tad said the Nightmare Realm is in more chaos than it normally was. And that they were gonna start another civil war. I mean seriously, I get that they’re upset with the power balance and the system which keeps people like  _ Tad _ in power but it’s not like anyone can undo billions of years worth of laws that’s buried under even more laws. It’s a bit of a mess.” Dipper rolled his eyes, slumping down on a box as the RV jolted them around. He wasn’t fazed by it though.

“Wait, they’ve already had a civil war? Why?” Pacifica asked, yawning as Mabel’s head resting on her shoulder. They were both fighting to stay awake and not to fall asleep. 

“Oh, I dunno. That’s one thing I don’t know yet. Tad asked me to reclaim Bill’s throne or whatever. I mean it’s not like I have much of a choice. I’d rather be a king than an outcast.” Dipper fiddled with the small flames that had appeared in his fingers while he spoke, twirling them around his finger like there were a ring. He was leaning to the side, his leg crossed against his right one as he yawned. 

“You agreed... to what?” Mabel mumbled between another yawn. 

“I agreed to my fate, Mabes. Can you two please not tell anyone? I can’t let anyone else know. You must promise me that you will never utter a word of this to anyone living or dead.” Pacifica nodded, Mabel, holding out a hand. 

“I promise, bro-bro. Just don’t do anything dumb, ‘kay?” She muttered as Dipper entwined his fingers with his sisters. 

Pacifica had fallen asleep, Mabel being barely awake at this point. Tad would be slightly pissed that he told, Dipper thought, looking at the blue flames for a second. He waved his hand away after a moment, the flames vanished. He let go of Mabel’s hand as it fell limply. Dipper rose to his feet as Mabel finally fell asleep. He glanced at her as he held the curtain with a faint smile while he shut it closed. He silently passed the sleeping forms of Candy and Grenda, sliding down in the front seat beside his great uncle. 

“What were you thinking, kid?” Stan said with a sigh as the road ahead of them became pitch black except for where the headlights shone. They were close to Gravity Falls, about a town away.

“I was thinking past tomorrow, Grunkle Stan. She would have killed more innocent people if I didn’t stop her.” He mumbled, doing up his seat belt.

“Just because you kill a murderer, the number of murderers in the world doesn’t go down, Dipper.” Stan was serious, his tone of voice hard and firm.

“Then you just kill two.” He chuckled morbidly. “Grunkle Stan, should I tell Great Uncle Ford about what happened?” 

“In all honesty, I think ya should. I mean, you’ve been doing and... saying some… questionable things recently.” Dipper knew Stan was right. But there were so many things he couldn’t tell anyone anymore. It would lead to his downfall if he wasn’t careful.

“Alright, I will. Just let me do it. I want to tell him everything.”

/(I)\

Dipper stepped off of the RV, staring at the shack in front of him. Ford stood on the porch, bags under his eyes as he smiled in greeting. “Hey, Sixer!” Stan shouted, walking over to his twin before the two of them hugged. Mabel stood close to Dipper, the young teenager not letting go of his hand. Dipper didn’t quite mind but he knew full well why she was doing it. 

Mabel’s friends had been dropped off at their respective residents on the way back to the Mystery Shack, Pacifica giving Dipper a concerned look when the gates of her family manor closed in front of her. Luckily, they had remembered that they left Soos in the corn maze, Stan instantly turning the RV back around to get him. Soos had returned to his own home, declaring that he wanted dinosaur shaped cookies. 

Stan went inside, Mabel dragging Dipper along with her. “Dipper! You don’t mind if I speak with you for a moment?” Ford asked as they stood on the patio. She paused for a moment, looking at Dipper and then her great uncle before unclasping her hand. She entered the Mystery Shack without a word, leaving Dipper and Ford alone.  “How was the road trip? Nothing Bill related happen?” Ford asked, sitting down on the edge of the wooden platform and patting the spot next to him.

Dipper sat down, glancing at the ground before finally speaking. “I lied to you, Grunkle Ford.” He mumbled, his voice a hushed whisper. 

“What do you mean?” Ford looked at Dipper, confused.

“I lied. About Bill.” He grabbed his hair, an insane look tracing his face as he spoke. “He isn’t in my mind anymore. He is me. It was only his magic and his knowledge though that was influencing it. Bill is dead.” His voice was devoid of emotion completely.

“What are you talking about, boy?” Ford kept asking questions. 

“We made a deal, Grunkle Ford. A deal forged from a broken soul and corrupted magic. Hard deal to break that kind. I know so much now. So much it hurts. But that’s what’s funny. I can’t stop it. I can’t control the magic like I thought I could. I need to reclaim Bill’s throne otherwise it will kill me.  _ They’ll _ kill me if I don’t, Great Uncle Ford.” Dipper rambled, Ford becoming startled by what the teenager was saying.

“W-Who?” 

“You ask a lot of questions. Even I don’t have the answers to everything. The Demon High Council. That’s who.” He snapped. Ford became even more frightened, his hand hovering above his hip. Dipper had gotten used to the looks of fear by now. Dipper lifted his hand up, twirling his fingers as blue flames appeared. “I was hesitant to tell you because I thought you’d murder me for thinking I was Bill. Although, I technically am. I know you have your gun on your hip and that you wouldn’t shoot me even if it was the last option, Grunkle Ford. I just want to know why you still fear Bill and me in general. I know what Bill thought of you. He considered you a friend until the end despite your betrayal.”

“That’s a-” Ford began, adjusting his glasses.

“-Lie? No. He really did consider you a friend. Bill didn’t have a very good understanding of humans or their social problems.” He snapped his hand closed, killing the flames as he glanced at Ford. 

“Dipper. What did you do?” Ford’s voice seemed strained and concerned.

“I did what I had to do to live. I don’t want to run out of time. I couldn’t leave Mabel alone. I couldn’t.” He was hugging his knees now, his expression softening to a frown. 

“Dipper-”

“They’re asking me to rule, Grunkle Ford. I agreed. Why did I agree? Why? Why?!” Dipper cut Ford off again, anger spiking in his voice as he tore at his hair again. Dipper raised his head, looking into the forest silently. 

“Dipper. What I was going to say is that I understand that you’ve made mistakes but you can fix them, boy. Whatever this is… w-we can figure it out, okay? Control it.” Ford placed a hand on Dipper’s shoulder but flinched back after making contact when Dipper turned his shoulder towards Ford.

“You can’t control it. I’ll tell you this, Grunkle Ford. If you try anything that could put my life in risk, I will not hesitate to murder you.” Dipper’s voice was devoid of emotion as he spoke, a piercing look in the teenager’s eyes. Ford had instantly shut his mouth, staring at the teenager in slight horror. “Tad… “ Dipper whispered, his eyes not leaving the forest. “I need to go.” He jolted up without another word, running into the forest despite Ford’s protests. Dipper felt a tree branch wacking him but he ignored it until he was deep in the pine forest and the Mystery Shack was out of view. 

“Greetings!” 

“AH!” Dipper screamed Tad appearing from a bush suddenly, startling the teenager. “What do you want, Tad?!” Dipper snapped. 

“I thought you might want this.” Tad tossed Dipper a book, the worn cover of the book looking old. The crimson cover was almost in tatters, the gold ink showing faint traces of demon runes.

“What is it?” Dipper hissed, holding the ratty novel up as he turned the cover over. “It’s old and ratty. Why would I want... “ As he spoke, he glanced at the cover, finally able to read what was written. “Oh. I didn’t know one of these still existed. Weren’t they-”

“-Destroyed during the civil war? Yeah, most of em. That’s Bill’s private copy, although the title has been altered to ‘ _ Daemonis vires flamma LIVII _ ’ since he’s owned it. The High Council obtained a large sum of his belongings after his passing. Read it. It will help with your powers. And with that, I must go. I cannot stay physical anymore. I’ll see you around. You’re still the most powerful demon that’s physical right now anyway!” And with that, Tad vanished, leaving no traces that he had been there. Dipper didn’t get a chance to ask what sacrifices they had used.

Dipper held the book close, thinking of what Tad said. ‘ _ The High Council obtained a large sum of his belongings after his passing _ .’ Had they known that Bill was dead before Ford knew? He remembered back to what Ford said last year. ‘ _ The Wheel only banished him to his own dimension, draining him of his power so he couldn’t try anything for a few billion years. At least, that’s what we should hope happened. _ ’ But that wasn’t what happened. Then what did The Wheel really do to Bill? Dipper glanced at his finger for a moment, finally noticing the blackened tips of his fingers. The more he looked at them, the more he realized that his fingers looked more like claws than anything. “What’s happening to me?” He mumbled, confused. He turned, heading in the direction of the shack as he held the novel close to his chest. He opened the door of the shack, Stan’s snoring echoing from the living room. He quietly snuck up the steps, entering the attic bedroom. Mabel was passed out on her bed, Waddles curled up beside her. Dipper sat down on his bed, flicking the landern on as it glowed with yellow LD lights. 

He opened the book that was given to him, as he did, an envelope fell out and landed on the ground. Dipper leant down and picked up the envelope. He turned it around, seeing the front. ‘ _ To Mason. _ ’ was written, startling Dipper even more. He opened it, pulling out a worn sheet of paper. It was folded in threes, faded yellow and torn in one corner. Dipper finally unfolded it.

‘ _ Dear Mason ‘Dipper’ Pines,  _

_ I write this to apologise ahead of time. Perhaps I’ve already done what I intended. I won’t ever know. Pinetree, I know full well that you will never forgive me for what I intend to do. I know that if I die, my magic will find a host in you. Its main goal is to take over its host. That’s what demon magic does. If you accept it, and I don’t know why you would, I’ll tell you this, be careful who you trust. I know full well that you probably won’t take my advice but, I know that I’ll die, Dipper.  _

_ I know many things and I can tend to predict what’s going to happen. But with you, Pinetree, I could never predict what you’d do. I love you, I’ll always love you. My magic will destroy your soul if you listen to it. I don’t want that for you. I also know that if you end up possessing my magic, the Demon High Council will want you. If you accept to take my place, be careful about what they tell you. This book contains everything you’ll need to know. It’s disguised as a book commonly sold before the civil war in the Nightmare Realm. It isn’t that book. I’ve told Tad, despite him being the biggest jerk ever, to give this to you when he thinks your ready. _

_ You’ll become the most powerful demon if you accept my powers. You’ll lose your humanity but not who you are. You won’t be human. This letter might be given to you later than expected. Maybe you’ve already gone too deep for me to reach you. I won’t ever know. _

_ If you do want to ever bring me back from the dead, I don’t want this yet I know you’ll start asking after you read this, but you need to return the magic. It will kill part of your soul. It will kill the best part of you, your innocence. I could never ask you to do such a thing. It would be the only good part of you that the magic won’t destroy. _

_ Mason Pines, I know you hate your name but I find it one of the most interesting parts of you. You are the most interesting part of my millions of years of existence. Yes, I may be a tad insane and a bit overboard but you were the only person I ever grew to love. _

_ I grew up during the civil war, thousands of years ago. I was younger than you are now, when I was given my first command, I led my people straight into a massacre. I witnessed their deaths firsthand. I made every mistake and felt the shame rise in me and even now I lie awake knowing history has its eyes on me.  _

_ Let me tell you what I wish I’d known when I was young and dreamed of glory, you have no control; who lives, who dies, who tells your story. I know that we can win. I know that greatness lies in you but remember from here on in history has its eyes on you. _

_ I hope you tell my story. _

_ -Bill. _

_ July 2012’    _

The note finished in a flourish, signed with his name. Dipper didn’t remember when he had started crying. Nor did he remember when Mabel awoke, finding the teenager in tears as he clutched the letter close to his chest. He didn’t even remember when he cried into Mabel’s shoulder without an explanation as to why he was upset.

* * *

**Ohw ph whoo brx zkdw L zlvk L'g nqrzq**

**Zkhq L zdv brxqj dqg guhdphg ri jorub**

**Brx kdyh qr frqwuro:**

**Zkr olyhv**

**Zkr glhv**

**Zkr whoov brxu vwrub.**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N You're probably wondering how Bill is quoting a musical from 2015 in 2013. He's omniscient. That's your answer.


	15. Building A Future.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “My definition of a free society is a society where it is safe to be unpopular.”  
> \- Adlai Stevenson (31st Governor of Illinois and United Nations ambassador 1961-1965)

Dipper lifted his head up, grabbing onto his hat as ideas flew through his head. Dipper bit his lip, tossing his hat onto his head as he continued to flick through the novel on his lap. He placed it aside, glancing out the window as he saw his sister appearing from a fancy limo that would cost more than the shack in total. 

It had been at least a day since he had acquired the book known as ‘ _Daemonis vires flamma LIVII_ ’. He found it quite hilarious at the fact that the title literary meant that this was Bill’s diary of some sorts. He pulled a pen out, sticking it in his mouth as he grabbed a notebook out. He flicked to the page in the worn out novel before spreading it across the table. Dipper began to write something down, his mind going faster than light.

Five minutes later, he flicked back to another page, biting onto the back of his pen for a moment as he read it. The door opened and Mabel entered quite loudly as she walked towards Dipper. When she noticed he was doing something, she spoke. "Whatcha doing?" She questioned, peering into his notebook before he rapidly closed it.

"Nothing." He snapped the old novel shut, traces of embarrassment covering his face. "Just trying to sort a few things out."

"What kinda things, Dip'n'dot?" Mabel sat down on her bed, pouting due to not getting the answer she desired. Dipper held his tongue for a moment, glancing at the worn book in his arms then back at his twin.

"Political things." He sheepishly answered, snapping his jaw closed as Mabel just stared.

"Do you mind if I watch? Grunkle Ford is down in the basement and Grunkle Stan is watching his black and white soap opera again." Dipper let loose a sigh, motioning for her to sit and watch. Mabel jumped up from her bed, grabbing an old crate to sit on. Dipper placed the book down, opening it to the page he was at before. He flipped his notebook back open, demon language scrawled in blue pen. He wrote with his left hand, swapping to his right every few minutes."Is that-"

"-Demon? Yes. Yes, it is." Dipper said swiftly before resuming his writing. He didn't need a translator anymore. He was writing it seamlessly. Mabel suddenly grabbed his hand, pulling his left hand up as he gripped onto the notebook. She ripped it from his hand as she held onto it. "What was that for?!" Dipper snapped.

"What the heck is wrong with your hand, Dipper?!" Mabel screamed, pointing at the blackened tips of his claw-like fingers. Dipper was growing angry, his free hand its fingers into the table as he tried to control it.

“Nothing. I just-”

“Stop saying it’s nothing! Dipper, what the fuck is going on?!” She swore which startled him to no end. She was crying now, frightful tears running down her face. “I’m worried about you! You keep doing things that-that make me worry even more. Pacifica told me that you had Bill’s blue flames. You keep running off into the forest and you keep burying yourself in work that I know nothing of. Dipper, I just want to know what you’re doing.” Dipper just remained silent, his eyes becoming calculating as he thought of a response.

“I can’t tell you, Mabel. I can’t tell anyone.” Dipper said, his voice cold as he roughly pulled his hand free yet Mabel held on.

“I’m your twin! There’s nothing you can’t tell me!” Mabel’s tears were replaced with anger. 

“I CAN’T! I-I-I was sworn to secrecy, okay?!” He snapped. 

“Just tell me why!” She screamed back, jerking her hand away from his and loosely dangling her hands to her sides as she clenched them into fists.

“Shooting Star-” Dipper started, not thinking as he tried desperately to control his emotions.

“Don’t call me that! It just keeps reminding me that you’re turning into a fucking demon!” She cut him off, yelling in his face as she shoved the notebook into Dipper’s hands. It burst into flames in his grip, rapidly dying when the embers landed on the ground. Dipper just stared, his face neutral. Mabel stormed out of the room, leaving Dipper alone.

/(I)\

Dipper pressed the buttons of the elevator, it slowly descending downwards after a second. The doors cluttered open, revealing Ford’s second-floor study. He opened the ornate door before stepping out. Ford sat at his desk, papers stacked dangerously high around him. “Hey, Grunkle Ford.” 

“Oh. Dipper, my boy. What are you doing down here?” Ford lifted up his glasses as he took a sip from his coffee. It was pitch black and the older man had bags under his eyes due to it.

“I gained some information on Bill” He held forward a stack of loose-leaf papers, all written in blue ink. Some had drawings on them while others were filled to the brim with demon runes. Ford grasped them in a six-fingered hand before glancing at them.

“This… an interesting development… “ Ford mumbled, shuffling through each page as he read through them. “How did obtain this information?” He looked up, staring with narrowed eyes at Dipper, a hint of suspicion in his voice.

“I have my ways, Grunkle Ford. Although, there’s something I’d like in return for those documents. If you don’t mind that is!” Dipper spluttered out, becoming awkward suddenly.

“Sure. Go ahead, although, I doubt I know any more than you.” Ford was smiling. It was if at that moment everything was back to normal but if Dipper blinked it would be lost again. And he did blink.

“I wanted to ask a few questions relating to… “ Dipper started but stopped himself, biting his lip for a second. “Weirdmaggedon.” 

“Weirdmaggedon? What about it?” Ford spoke, looking slightly startled. He probably didn’t expect it, Dipper thought seeing his face.

“How did you obtain the rift? A-And how did you contain it? Is there any way that you could accidentally open another tear in our dimension again?” Dipper started listing his questions off instantly, pulling out a pen as it hovered above a notebook that he pulled out of his vest. He smiled sheepishly, the childish need to understand growing by the second. 

“Well.” Ford pulled his glasses off, wiping them for a second before speaking again. “Those are certainly a lot of questions. Dipper, the rift was only a byproduct of the portal. To get another rift like that would require something to tear through the interdimensional instability to work.” 

“But isn’t is already weak due to Gravity Falls weirdness magnetism?” Dipper piped in, scrawling words down on his notepad. 

“That is true. The equation-” Ford paused, looking at Dipper for a moment. “Why do you want to know about this?” He was looking at the teen with suspicion again. 

“N-No reason. I just found something about Weirdmaggedon in my…. Research… and was just interest.” Dipper paused in the middle of speaking, biting his lip. Ford didn’t seem convinced. 

“What research?” Ford was pressing him for information now. 

“Nothing. It’s nothing. Forgot I asked. I’ll just leave-” Dipper spluttered, turning towards the elevator.

“No. You tell me now, boy.” Ford had grabbed onto Dipper’s forearm, the teenager freezing up. Fear was evident in Dipper’s eyes, startling the older man. The teen opened his mouth to speak but the scientist spoke first. “What don’t you want me knowing, Dipper?”

Ford’s words seemed to have struck something, Dipper clamping his jaws closed. His glare seemed to send Dipper into shock as he opened his mouth and spluttered some words out. “I-I can’t tell you.” Dipper was shaking, fright being shown for the first time in months. There was a spike of pain growing in his chest. He wanted to run but couldn’t as his legs turned to complete jelly. 

“What are you planning.” Ford hissed, growing angry. It which only caused Dipper to attempt to calm himself as the pain grew. He jerked his arm away, leaning against the wall as he placed a hand above his heart. Dipper took deep breaths as the pain in his chest slowly subdued. Ford watched, speechless as Dipper almost collapsed on the floor. “Woah!” Ford shouted as Dipper stumbled for a second, the older man catching him under his arms. “What’s wrong?” The anger was gone, replaced with concern. 

“I’m fine. I’m fine.” Dipper breathed out, Ford slowly lowering him onto a stool. Dipper breathed deeply, placing a hand against his head for a moment. ‘ _My magic will destroy your soul if you listen to it._ ’ Bill’s words echoed through Dipper’s head as he sat there, numbingly reaching for the glass of water which Ford had gotten him. Dipper glanced at the glass before it slid from his hands and smashed against the group as he clumsily held onto it with shaking hands. “Sorry!” He spoke, instantly leaning down to pick up the shards. His hand slipped past a shard, accidentally cutting himself when he picked it up. Dipper hissed in pain as he instantly grabbed his hand.

“Dipper are you-” Ford began, rushing over to see if Dipper had gravely injured himself. The older man paused, staring at the cut hand. Dipper’s eyes went wide as he looked at the wound as well. Inky black liquid streamed from the wound, coating his fingers as he held them in place. 

“‘ _You won’t be human’,_ ” Dipper spoke softly, remembering what Bill had written as he glanced back up at Ford who was stuck with fear. Dipper wasn’t human anymore.

* * *

**Zkdw sodqv grhv wkh qhz uxohu wudqvfuleh?**  
**Zkdw zloo kdsshq zkhq wkhb frph wr iuxlwlrq?**  
 **Hasorvlyh ru ghdgob?**  
 **Olyhob ru iuhh?**  
 **Kh kdv bhw wr ghflgh.**

 


	16. Sinking Deeper Into Mayhem.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The further you fall, the harder it is to get out. Just pray that no one follows you.

Dipper watched silently as Ford wrapped his left hand up in bandages, ivory white against his charcoal black fingertips. Dipper held his tongue as the bondage was tightened, wincing slightly.

Dipper's grip on what was going on was slowly slipping the further in he got. Dipper knew he was sinking into the water faster than he could swim out. "That should do it. Now I need to do explain what is going on, Dipper. Why are your fingertips black and why is your blood black as well?" Ford stated, pulling away as he snapped his first aid kit closed as it sat on his desk.

"I've already told you. Bill's magic is part of me." Dipper bitterly snapped, pulling his hat off as he fiddled with it.

"You're not telling me the whole truth are you?" Ford was right on the point. Dipper was holding back and Ford was picking up on that. "Please, just tell me." The old man looked tired as if he hadn't slept for days.

"When was the last time you slept, Great Uncle Ford?" Dipper dodged the question by asking another. Ford didn't seem amused by that.

"Stop avoiding the question Dipper."

"Hmmf. Fine." Dipper mumbled, leaning against his right hand, his smile rising. "I'm King of the Demons, last I checked. I wonder if that has anything to do with it!" Dipper snapped sarcastically, his smile falling and turning into a hard glare. "I'm going upstairs. I'd rather not speak about this anymore." He just got up from the stool, walking towards the elevator without bothering to listen to Ford. He pressed the button lightly as the elevator door shuttered closed. He glimpsed Ford's gaze between the closing metal, worried and long as he stared.

/(I)\

Mabel glanced up from her spot at the table, whatever she was drawing suddenly forgotten as she spotted her brother entering the room. She noticed with a slight grimace that his left hand was now bandaged tightly, the papers he had vanished downstairs with completely gone.

Mabel was concerned for her brother. He was constantly battling with what happened and his own mind. She saw it every night when he would toss and turn, muttering faint words in his sleep. Horrid words detailing small fragments of his dreams before he would wake up in a sweat as if he had been running a marathon, chuckling to himself before he fell asleep again.

She was concerned for her brother, for his mental health and for what he was clearly planning. He had drowned himself in work, piles of papers and books he had borrowed from the local library crowding his entire side of the room. She could barely see the end of his bed anymore as pillars of knowledge piled high enough to touch the thick beams in the ceiling. He was writing in demon too, worrying Mabel even more.

She had seen what happens when Dipper's emotions became uncontrollable and unstable, one of her sweaters an unfortunate causality when Waddles had tried to eat Dipper's work. It was now a charred pile of wool that had been chucked out. She just wanted to know why and how he had gotten this far in his mistakes yet he always hid the worst from her chestnut brown eyes.

Mabel watched her brother as he sat down on the floor at the foot of the single lounge chair in the room where Stan sat. Stan was just watching the local news, Dipper listening as another gnome heist was reported.

She stayed silent, thinking back to how her brother had acted earlier after she arrived home from Pacifica's house. She brushed it off a second later when she saw Dipper rising from his spot.

"Hey, Mabel." He spoke with a smile. He slowly walked over to her, sitting down on a chair as he leant back in it.

"Hey, Dip… " Was all Mabel muttered, his eyes glancing down at her drawing a second later. She looked back up to see him fiddling with a blue flame that had appeared on his fingertips. He snapped his fingers closed a second later, his smile fading as his eyes grew wide. He got up, leaving the room in a sudden rush.

"What's wrong with the kid?" Stan asked, looking up from the TV after Dipper passed. Mabel just shrugged. She wasn't even sure anymore./(I)\

"Tad! What did I tell you?!" Dipper hissed under his breath at the demon who was sprawled across the table. Dipper stood in the kitchen, rapidly trying to lower his voice as he spoke to the demon.

"Don't randomly show up? Well, this time is important. I did what you told me last night." Tad spoke, smirking as he showed off his inhumane canines.

"Oh right, that. I forgot that. Did you find what I ask you to look for?" Dipper suddenly perked up, smiling intently. Tad moved around, eventually dangling his legs off of the table before he spoke again.

"Yes, I indeed did. It's located in the town centre." The demon explained, smiling as well.

"Great. This makes everything so much easier." Dipper rubbed his hands together as his excitement grew but as it did, his smile fell. "Also, I require a few answers."

"For what questions, my excellency?" He spoke. Dipper bit his lip, his voice was still hushed as he rapidly glanced out of the room in case his family decided to eavesdrop before speaking.

"Am I still human?"

Tad seemed taken aback by the question, pausing for a moment. "Well. Technically yes but technically no. How do I explain this?" Tad muttered to himself, shifting a hand through his black hair. "When a demon dies, their magic can simply just vanish. Just poof and they're gone!" He used his hands, explaining his point further as he flicked his fingers. "But powerful demons tend to tie themselves to mortal creatures so that if they really do die they can just tell that mortal to do whatever they can to return the demon back to life."

_ 'If you do want to ever bring me back from the dead, I don't want this yet I know you'll start asking after you read this, but you need to return the magic. It will kill part of your soul. It will kill the best part of you, your innocence.'  _ Those words echoed through Dipper's head with a shudder as Tad spoke. "So they use mortals as sacrifices? That's… That's-" Dipper's humanity was showing as he tried to understand this new concept. "Wrong."

"It's life, Dipper. As I was saying, you're technically both human and demon at the same time." Tad continued.

"How does that work?!" Dipper was even more confused.

"Your body is still adjusting. It seems your blood has already changed and the rest will follow in due time. You just need to wait it out, kid." Tad smiled fondly, ruffling the teenager's hair.

"That makes a lot of sense" Dipper began to speak, a smile creeping up his face.

"You should be dead by now but you're a funny case." Tad continued, Dipper's smile falling.

"What? What do you mean?!"

"A normal mortal would have already brought their demon back or be broken by the magic infesting their body. The magic would have taken over your body and killed you from the inside or forced to you kill yourself. Most don't accept the magic but you did. And somehow you can control it." Tad seemed confused himself, looking at Dipper as if he was a miracle given from God himself.

"That makes less sense… " Dipper mumbled, glancing at his hands.

"I should be going," Tad said rapidly as they heard shuffling from the living room as the TV was turned off, the familiar rumble of voices gone. "If you need me just call, kid." And with that, Tad vanished, leaving Dipper alone once more.

He rubbed his eyes once before walking out of the kitchen and up the stairs. He entered the attic bedroom, instantly going down on his knees. He lifted his mattress up, pulling out his infamous pinetree journal and a novel out from underneath. Dipper placed them both on the table, opening it to the exact page he required from the novel. He grabbed a screwdriver and the tangles of metal and wiring nearby before going to work.

/(I)\

Mabel watched her brother's sleeping form as he snored lightly in his sleep. She saw the pages of a book sticking out from his mattress, her interest peaking. She saw him move to his side, his back facing her now. "What are you hiding?' She silent rose from her bed, sneaking through the darkness as she knelt down. She grabbed onto the objects, slowly sliding them out despite Dipper's weight on the mattress. He stirred for a moment, Mabel instantly freezing up as she stifled a gasp with her hands.

"For the revolution… " He mumbled yet he didn't wake. Mabel successfully grabbed the hidden objects, exiting the attic in a rush as Dipper fell back into his sleep.

She ran towards the bathroom, locking the door behind herself. Mabel flicked the light on, strands of her brown hair in his eyes as she blew it to the side with a single breath. She slid her back against the door, gliding to the floor as her nightie flowered in her wake. The teenager crossed her legs, looking at the two items she had acquired. The first was Dipper's pinetree journal, papers sticking out of it randomly. The second was a book, the title visible despite it being slightly worn. It was the title that startled her the most. 'Non-deadly Explosives 101' was scrawled in bold on the cover as Mabel held it in shaking hands. She rapidly opened the journal, flicking through pages until she landed on the most recent page that was written in English. It was a diary entry.

_ 'June 2013, _

_ I discovered that the Nightmare Realm isn't really ruled by the King despite what I was told. _

_ The High Council is in charge of everything. I'm just their puppet. Almost every night, when I sleep, I go to meetings with them after waking up in the Nightmare Realm. There's six of them, ancient beings with enough power to erase an entire galaxy. They're feeble though, unable to release said power due to their billions and billions of years of existence slowly coming to an end. All demons die when they're forgotten by mortals unless they're killed by their own with certain objects or erased from existence. I suppose I will die if I don't stay in our reality. If I'm forgotten. _

_ That's beside the point. The lower ranked demons have been revolting. The Council is using me to quenched the fighting. I don't want that. After I liberate the High Council,  _ **_permanently_ ** _ removing them for their status I plan on something big. _

_ If I can live with mortals, why can't the other demons do so as well? You cannot judge an entire group's existence on one person, Bill in this case. I got myself into this mess and despite the mayhem that will ensure after my plan comes to fruition, I know that I have to do it. For the good of my new people I must. _

_ I haven't told Mabel about what's happening despite her protests. I want to but I can't. She wouldn't be able to comprehend what I'm doing nor would she allow me. _

_ I'm immortal now, I'm no longer human. How could I tell her that? How could I tell my twin sister that we won't ever grow old together? That I'll have to watch her die while I remain young? Demons age, yes, but slowly. By the time Mabel will be twenty, I'll only of aged a year or two. I don't think either of us could handle that. I don't think I'll ever be able to have children without knowing that I will have to bury them someday I'll have to bury my twin. Yet I don't want my sister to eventually die knowing that her brother is a monster. And what would Mom and Dad think? What will happen when the Government thinks I've unlocked immortal life? I should be dead by now, unknowing killing myself for Bill's return but for some reason I'm different.' _

Mabel had started to cry, wiping her tears away to prevent them from falling onto the page and causing the ink to smudge and run off the ivory white pages.

_ 'I should be dead by now but I'm not and I must use that power to avoid becoming the monster that I'm on the path to become. That's why I need to do what I have to do. I have to tear the rift between our two worlds. I've pondered this for a while and finally decided I'll have to do it on Pioneer Day but first I must save my people from the tyrannical rulers that the High Council are. They were going to murder you, Mabel. They were going to murder you, if I didn't agree to be King. _

_ I know full well that you're reading this, sister. I saw it coming with the way you were acting the other day. You were always the one to snoop around my stuff. I don't blame you. I'd rather write this down than say it to you. Please, just please don't try to stop me. _

_ Shooting Stars fall but they're beautiful while they're there. You're my Shooting Star that will never cease to stay in the sky. _

_ -Dipper.' _

Mabel felt her heart lodged in her throat, pounding loudly as she stared at the book with tears drying on her cheeks. He had known she would look for answers. It sent a shiver down her spine. _ 'They were going to murder you, Mabel. They were going to murder you, if I didn't agree to be King.'  _ She rapidly looked back at the book, looking through pages until she landed on what seemed to be a photocopied image of a letter. She could tell it was copied due to the whiter paper. Why Dipper had copied it, she found out when she looked at the red and blue ink highlighting things with hand-written notes on the border. What struck her was the fact that it was a letter from Bill. She pulled it out, it only staying there by a single piece of tap in the centre as she spread it across the bathroom floor. Mabel flicked back to the diary entry again, laying the book flat against the wooden floor as the light bulb buzzed. The other book was on the floor beside it, a triangle of thought as Mabel tried to connect the dots. 

"What does it all mean?" She whispered, her hand hovering above the pages as she leant forward on her knees. She wasn't as good as her brother at connecting secrets together. What was Dipper planning?

* * *

**D sdwk irujhg rxw ri d irufhg idwh,**   
**D irujrwwhq ghdwk.**   
**Wkh Ghprq Nlqj kdv orvw klv srzhu,**   
**Frqwuroohg eb wkrvh pruh dqflhqw.**   
**Vxfnhg lqwr wkh uhehoolrq,**   
**Wkh Ghprq Nlqj zloo slfn d qhz vlgh.**   
**Wkh Uhyroxwlrq lv qhdu,**   
**Zloo kh idoo zlwk lw?**   
**Ru zloo kh khos lw vxffhhg zkhuh rwkhuv kdyh idlohg?**

 


	17. The Insurrection.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the Revolution! For a new fate!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to see some art or ask a question, I have a Tumblr!  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lucy-marigold.

Dipper jolted from sleep to find himself somewhere else. With a groan he rubbed his head, slightly used to the sudden shifting of environments. “Taaaad. What time is it?” He moaned, rubbing his eyes as he rolled over in the large bed he was lying on. 

“Here or in your reality?” Tad was standing by his bedside, checking what seemed to be a pocket watch.

“What do you think?” He grumbled in reply, sitting up as he adjusted his pyjamas that had ridden up awkwardly.

“It’s late morning here, early night there. Your sister seems to be snooping around, by the way.” With a wave his hand, Tad produced something that vaguely looked like a video screen with a static image on it. Mabel was watching Dipper’s sleeping form silently.

“Just let her. I’ve got better things to do right now. Did you find the letter I left you?” He slid off the bed, tearing off his shirt as he tossed it aside and grabbed his clothing from the other day that sat on a nearby chair. It was a firmly pressed black suit, reminding him even more of Bill. The room he was in was made completely out of dark black bricks, reminding him faintly of his brief time in the Fearamid. There was a fireplace across from the bed, a single desk and chair by the triangular window that glimpsed out to the hellish world outside. A mirror was placed on the desk, a small one.

“I am not letting you go among them, let alone read that speech to a crowd of demons!” Tad snapped. 

“Tad. Cmon! It will be the solution we were looking for! I told you the only way the High Council will lose their power is if they’re permanently removed from their positions! You revoked your position the moment you agreed to be my advisor and I’m second in this hellish hierarchy!” Dipper was whining like a child but he didn’t care.

“That’s beside the point, kid. You can’t honestly expect to blend in with… “And then Tad noticed the smirk on Dipper’s face. “Dear God. You already thought of a solution to that haven’t you?” The older demon let loose a sigh, rubbing his temples. “And now I know why your great uncle can’t stand you.” He joked with a smile.

“I always plan ahead, Tad. Now,” Dipper rubbed his hands together as he sat down at his desk and glanced at the mirror. “What to change?” He mumbled, looking at himself. Dipper honestly hadn’t looked in a mirror for a long time, noting that his hair a grown a bit since he last checked and the bags under his eyes visible even more than normal. He knew that his yellow eye would be the most noticeable of all his physical traits. He glanced back at Tad who had crossed his arms, leaning against the wall nearby. “What should I change?” 

“Well. Your eye for one is quite noticeable. Perhaps change the outfit as well. Might I suggest your normal clothing? The only demons to have seen you are high-class demons anyway. You won’t be noticeable among the lower ranked demons in this outfit.” Tad moved forward, placing Dipper’s normal everyday attire into the teenager’s arms as he continued to stare at the mirror. Dipper flicked his eyes with a single finger, his yellow eye shifting to the other’s normal chestnut brown. The one thing he couldn’t change was the claw-like hands that were only charcoal black at the tips of his fingers. That he would have to figure out on his own.

“Why did my fingertips change, Tad?” He questioned, looking up at Tad.

“That would be a side effect from your flames.” Tad placed a hand fondly on Dipper’s shoulder at the teenager snapped his fingers, instantly in his everyday clothing. 

“Oh.”

/(I)\

Dipper narrowly ran through tight alleyways, trying to figure out his surroundings the best he could. He had only seen the Citadel, the control room of the entire Nightmare Realm. He wasn’t allowed to leave yet that didn’t stop him. Dipper wandered into what seemed to be a marketplace, demons running around everywhere. Tad had left him at the gates, involuntary preparing for his speech. 

Dipper walked through the market at a slow pace, glancing at the strange objects for sale. The road was made of what seemed to be sand, buildings made of both wood and sandstone. He’d have to get used to seeing these things, Dipper thought to himself. 

He glanced at an old demon who was selling what seemed to be silk objects. He instantly thought of Mabel as he held the strangely multicoloured fabrics in his grasp. “Greetings, young demon.” The old demon croaked, clearly an old woman. She held out a shaking hand, pale purple and spotted. 

“These are beautiful. My sister would love them.” He complimented. “How much?” He held up a magenta square, small stars embroidered into the fabric. 

“That will be three coins.” She mumbled, smiling as she showed her inhumane canines. Dipper patted his pockets but only found an old sheet of paper. He didn’t have any money on him at all. 

“Oh. It seems I don’t have any coins on me, ma’am.” He said, his smile falling. “I apologise.” 

“Here. I’ll pay for it.” A voice from behind Dipper spoke, a hand thrusting three coins forward and towards the women. Dipper turned to see a young demon standing there. 

“Oh, you don’t-” Dipper began to protest but the demon cut him off.

“Nah. Don’t worry. I had a sister once. Your sister will love it. You must be new, I can tell.” The demon said with a smile, the woman pocketing the coin with a smile as Dipper stood there, holding the fabric square in his hands. 

“New? Oh, yeah.” His eye went wide as he hurried to lie. “I’m… Tyrone.” He said the first name that had come to mind. He stuffed the fabric square into his pocket, forgetting about it as he watched the new demon.

“Why nice to meet you, Tyrone. I’m Buddy. Nice human form.” Buddy responded, patting Dipper on the back. Buddy was in the form of a slim teenager, ginger hair on his head. He had bits of stubble on his chin and he seemed much older than Dipper was. A lot of demons seemed to be in human form.

“Thanks. I like yours too. Might I ask a question about something?” He asked as they began to walk through the market.

“Shoot!” Buddy smiled, pointing with his fingers as he turned around to walk backwards for a second.

“Why are so many demons in human form?” He mumbled, dodging up a dangling banner. Buddy let loose a laugh before speaking.

“It’s just easier to maintain than other forms. Seriously, have you ever tried being a cyclops for longer than an hour?” He chuckled, leading Dipper into an ally. “What’s your opinion on the whole royalty that’s leading us?” Buddy suddenly asked as the alley darkened. 

“The royalty?” Dipper paused, thinking for a second. “They’re… different. You know what? I’m young, scrappy and hungry. These streets get colder. I shoulder every burden, every disadvantage, I have learned to manage, I don’t have a title to brandish. I walk these streets famished the plan is to fan this spark into a flame. We are meant to be a world that runs independently. Meanwhile, the High Council keeps shittin’ on us endlessly. Essentially, they tax us relentlessly then the King turns around, runs a spending spree. He ain’t ever gonna set his descendants free so there will be a revolution in this century. I know it. Although I doubt the King is to blame sometimes.” He pointed at himself without thinking. Buddy seemed impressed, ignoring the small action. He began leading him further through the streets.

Buddy pause, glancing down both ends of the streets before he knocked against a dark wooden door, a single slot at the top. It shuttered open, revealing a pair of darkened eyes glaring at them. “Who’s there?” A gruff voice spoke, the eyes darting to look at Buddy.

“It’s Bud. Let me in, Garrison.” Buddy snapped, rolling his eyes. ‘Garrison’ swished the window closed, the bulky noise of locks being undone echoing through the door. It swung open, revealing a poorly lit room. Buddy shoved Dipper into the room, Garrison locking the door behind them. “Meet Tyrone everyone!” Buddy announced, pointing to Dipper. Three people emerged from the shadows, eyeing him. There was a pair of them, clinging to one another, one female and the other male. They seemed to be in the form of young adults. Twins perhaps? The other was an older man, his beard touching the floor. Garrison turned out to be a large and bulking person, his hands the size of dinner plates. 

“Why did you-” The female began but as she did so, the demon beside her continued the sentence. 

“-Bring him here?” He finished. Psychic twins, interesting. Dipper thought when he saw them.

“He’s new. I couldn’t let him wander uselessly around the market. Tyrone meet the twins, Marylin and Mark and over there is Joshua. “ He pointed at the twins, confirming what Dipper already assumed. Joshua didn’t seem to hear what Buddy had said, rather he just sat there, hazily looking forward. They jolted from the silence as a loud ringing could be heard from outside. 

“Ah shit. There’s a meeting. C’mon.” Garrison spoke, opening the door as everyone but Joshua shuffled outside. 

Dipper walked with the crowd as they gathered around a wooden platform. Tad stood upon it, holding a bound scroll in his hands. Demons mingled around,  interested. “Attention! Attention!” Tad shouted. “I have a message from the… King. Heed not the rabble who screams revolution, our society is functioning on its own!”

“Oh my God, someone tear this dude to shreds.” Garrison chuckled, pointing at Tad.

“Chaos and bloodshed are not the solution! Do not let their words lead you astray!” Tad continued. Slowly, Dipper made his way through the crowd. “It is a dangerous way to show your resolutions. I pray our… King shows you his mercy. For shame, my friends, For shame.” At that point, Dipper was standing on the stage behind Tad, a smirk on his face.

“The king doesn’t know what’s best for us! We freeze while he lives the high life! You tell us to pray, we pray for a way for this to end!” Dipper spoke, butting in as the crowd cheered. Tad tried to continue but Dipper cut him off. “He’d have us murder and betray one another just to get enough power. But the Revolution is imminent. If you stand for nothing, what will you fall for? What will we stand for if this continues?”

“For shame! How dare you speak to me-”

“For the Revolution! I’m with these people and we will stand for nothing anymore.Why should someone born into a bloodline control us?” Dipper was yelling now, clearly frustrating Tad.

“Tyrone, please,” Buddy spoke, trying to ease Dipper off of the stage.

“Bud, I’d rather be divisive than indecisive, drop the niceties. They haven’t earned their titles, they haven’t earned their power. They didn’t work for it! The Council are higher than the King and I’ve had enough of it!” He shouted, a flash of blue flames flaring up around him. People screamed while some gasped. Some just stared as Dipper froze in place. Dipper buried his face into his hands as he heard Buddy sputtering something.

“Y-You’re... the…” Buddy stuttered. “King!”

“Surprise?” Dipper awkwardly chuckled, everyone just staring for a second as silence fell over them. He felt his eye fading back to yellow, everyone letting out more gasps of surprise. 

“Dipper, now is really-” He heard Tad whispering in his ear but he was cut off by the sudden cheers of the crowd. Dipper was confused, extremely confused.

“W-Why are you cheering?” Dipper spluttered out, completely confused. Buddy just got up on the platform, slinging an arm around Dipper’s shoulder.

“Dude! You're the King!” Buddy chuckled, people continuing the cheer.

“Aaaand?” He held his hands up in defence, his eyes darting to Tad who just stood there, his jaw open.

“You can get rid of the rules! Heck, the last King didn’t even bother coming down here after he became King.” Garrison spoke, joining them on the stage.

“I can’t! I just have a title that’s being used against my will.” The crowd went quiet, confused by his words. “I may be ‘King’ but I have no control over what laws are made. The High Council controls everything. I have no more rights than you.” 

“It’s true. The Council is filled with corruption and the unwillingness of allowing lower-ranking demons to rise to power.” Tad spoke up, raising a finger to the sky as he spoke.

“What does that mean?” A demon from the crowd shouted. 

“It means… it means we have to... take the battle to them.” Dipper clenched his fist, smiling widely as he looked out to the crowd ahead of him. Thousands of demons looking at him, all different sizes, genders and ages. “FOR THE REVOLUTION!” He shouted, raising his hand into the air as everyone else shouted along.

* * *

**Zh kdyh wr pdnh wklv prphqw odvw, wkdw'v sohqwb**  
**Vfudwfk wkdw wklv lv qrw d prphqw, lw'v wkh pryhphqw**  
 **Zkhuh doo wkh kxqjulhvw eurwkhuv zlwk vrphwklqj wr suryh zhqw?**  
 **Irhv rssrvh xv, zh wdnh dq krqhvw vwdqg**  
 **Zh uroo olnh Prvhv, fodlplq' rxu surplvhg odqg**  
 **Dqg? Li zh zlq rxu lqghshqghqfh?**  
 **'Cdw d jxdudqwhh ri iuhhgrp iru rxu ghvfhqgdqwv?**  
 **Ru zloo wkh eorrg zh vkhg ehjlq dq hqgohvv fbfoh ri yhqjhdqfh dqg ghdwk zlwk qr ghihqgdqwv?**  
 **L nqrz wkh dfwlrq lq wkh vwuhhw lv haflwlq'**  
 **Exw Mhvxv, ehwzhhq doo wkh eohhglq' 'q iljkwlq'**  
 **L'yh ehhq uhdglq' 'q zulwlq'**  
 **Zh qhhg wr kdqgoh rxu ilqdqfldo vlwxdwlrq**  
 **Duh zh d qdwlrq ri vwdwhv zkdw'v wkh vwdwh ri rxu qdwlrq?**  
 **L'p sdvw sdwlhqwob zdlwlq' L'p sdvvlrqdwhob pdvklq' hyhub hashfwdwlrq**  
 **Hyhub dfwlrq'v dq dfw ri fuhdwlrq**  
 **L'p odxjklq' lq wkh idfh ri fdvxdowlhv dqg vruurz**  
 **Iru wkh iluvw wlph, L'p wklqnlq' sdvw wrpruurz.**

 


	18. Reconciling.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When we move forward, what happens to the people we leave behind?

Dipper burst the doors open, zero resistance while doing so. The throne room was where the High Council gathered, the throne vacant as Dipper stood in the doorway. Ornate designs spiralled up the pillars, a blue rug underneath his feet. "Ah. So the King returns. How was your little escapade, child?" One of the six elders spoke, his voice filled with a condescending tone. 

"Oh. I just wanted to see what they were rioting about.” He responded, grinning.

“Well then Dipper, while you were gone did you discovered what those hordes wanted?” Another spoke, a hint of snobbishness in his voice. 

“It seems they just want the rules changes and their _freedom_." When he spoke the last word, at least five hundred demons swarmed into the room, weapons and magic raised. 

"W-What is this?!" One of the Council Members shouted, confused like a cornered animal. Dipper knew that if you cornered a wounded animal they were ten times more deadly.

"Oh, a coop, a betrayal. A rebellion. How does it feel to know you've driven your own people to murder? You are being trialled for crimes against demonkind, corruption, murder, false replication of illegal documents and stealing the last Pop tart.” Eyes glanced at the youngest Council member who looked extremely guilty. 

“How was I supposed to know that Pop tart was his!?” She spluttered, Tad emerging with Buddy, Garrison and the twins from the throng of demons. 

“That’s beside the point,” Buddy spoke, flicking a finger as Garrison came forward. The ground rumbled and massive chunks of earth surrounded the six demons, engaging them.  

“What should we do to them, guys?!” Dipper shouted, raising his arms out as he spun on the heel of his shoe. The crowd muttered, the soft whispers turning into shouts.

“Murder them!” “Banish them!” “Execute them!” Were all shouted, people raising their fists into the air.

“Alright, alright. All in favour of banishing them.” Dipper addressed them, smirking. Only about ten demons raised their claws, hands, tentacles or whatever appendages they used as hands. “And all in favour of executing them?” Everyone else raised their limbs, a wide grin appearing on Dipper’s face. He clasped his hands together, eyes both glowing a dangerous yellow. “Well, this is going to be fun.”

/(I)\

Dipper stood by the sidelines as the large group of demons dragged the High Council through the town and towards the stage that formerly was for speeches. They were bound in earthy chains, Garrison being the one leading them along. Dipper felt hands touching him on both shoulders and he turned to see both Tad and Bubby behind him. Tad was smiling, full of pride. Buddy was also bursting with pride, showing off his inhumane canines. “I forgot to ask, Ty-” Buddy began.

“It’s Dipper, Dipper Pines. Not Tyrone. Sorry I lied, Buddy. I was just trying to help you guys stand up without revealing who I was. That sorta backfired.” He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, a trait he had picked up long ago. Buddy’s eyes grew slightly wider. “By the way, Tad. What time is it in my reality?” 

“About three or four in the morning, too early to wake up so don’t worry.” Tad patted him on the shoulder after checking his watch.

“Wait, what do you mean your reality?” Buddy asked as the crowd headed towards the city centre.

“Oh. I’m not from this dimension. I’m still technically human. _Technically_. I have a physical form and I come here when my body is asleep.” He explained, a couple of other demons probably overhearing but Dipper didn’t mind. They had reached the stage. Garrison lead the Council members onto the wooden platform, Dipper swiftly following behind them. He glanced across the sea of beings, some of them flying with younger demons to see the stage. It must have been a long time since a public execution it seemed. Demons were eager to shed blood even if was one of their own. 

“Let me take it from here, Dipper,” Tad said, stepping up beside Dipper. “Hello again, everyone!” Tad addressed the crowd, people already cheering for bloodshed. “You're about to witness history! The High Council is officially no more!” People were cheering even louder, a few even shouting out. Even the high-class demons were present among the crowd.

“Where’s the King?!” “Yeah!!” “I heard he was actually listening to people!” People shouted out, muttering and whispering with one another. Buddy shoved Dipper forward as the teenager suddenly freezes up. Dipper wasn’t one for addressing this many people. 

“I can’t do this.” He mumbled, willing himself not to panic. 

“You did it before, why not now?” Buddy whispered back, confused at Dipper’s sudden change. Dipper frowned, thinking. Buddy was right. He did it before. 

“What would Bill do?” Dipper mumbled to himself, thinking even more. He moved away from Buddy, proudly standing beside Tad with a smile on his face. 

“Demons, monster and horrid creatures alike, my name is Dipper Pines. I was titled King but I don’t want the title to be given to me. Heck, it was forced upon me by the demons chained behind me. I want to earn it. I want everyone to have a say as who leads. From the most powerful to the weakest, from the youngest to the oldest, we all have a voice and it’s because of demons like these that you can’t speak up.” He pointed bitterly at the Council behind him. 

“Where I’m from, everyone gets a chance to vote who’s in charge and I want to remove these horrible rules that tie us down. I wasn’t born a demon but I accept who I am. I may of not grown up in the slums or lived the high life but I know how it feels to be repressed because you're different or weaker. In my dimension, I was shunned from my society because of the people I surrounded myself with. No one, young or old should be dismissed because they’re weak. This place is hell and I have a plan on getting every demon outta here. I just need your support.” Dipper felt winded, standing there breathing in and out as everyone processed his speech. Dipper flinched when he felt a hand on his shoulder, slowly he turned to see Tad smiling with fatherly pride.

“I’m proud of you, kid. Bill would be too.” Tad said as demons began to cheer. The twins drew forth a sword that was bound in leather. 

“Why is the sword hilt covered in leather?” He whispered to Tad as the twins passed the sword over.

“Demons can’t touch silver unless it’s covered. If we touch it, our skin burns if we do. And if it slices you, that’s a hard wound to heal.” Buddy was the one who answered, smiling as he turned Dipper towards the Council. Dipper’s hands were shaking. He had never murdered a living being before. His mind flashed back to the things he had witnessed during Weirdmaggedon. A chill went down his spine as he stood there. The cheers became blinding, his ears barely able to even hear the voices beside him. He wanted to curl up and cry but part of him told him just to get it over and done with. He walked towards the first member, her pleading amber eyes staring into him. Dipper screwed his eyes closed as he swung the sword down, the sound of screaming and cheers all he could hear as the blade went through her neck. He continued, his grip becoming tighter the further down the line he went. He opened his eyes after swinging for the sixth time, dropping the blade to the ground with a clatter. A head rolled into the crowd, people cheering even more. Inky blood was splattered everywhere, including on Dipper’s own hands. Dipper felt slightly ill, Tad instantly going to his side.

“You alright, kid?” Tad asked, seeing Dipper’s faint behaviour. 

“I’m-” Dipper felt a tugging sensation in his brain, his eyes going wide in fright. “What time is it, Tad?!” He screamed, grabbing onto Tad’s shoulder as the demon withdrew his pocket watch. 

He glanced at it for a second before uttering words. “It’s not even seven yet, I have no clue what’s going on!” The last thing Dipper remembered was someone catching him as he fell backwards, the world fading in and out as he did so. “Dip-” 

/(I)\

“-per! Wake up!” A voice said, snapping Dipper back into his own reality. He jerked awake, eyes wide. Stan was by his bedside this time. “Do you know what’s wrong with your sister?!” Stan was panicked, almost as if something had happened.

“What do you mean?!” Dipper snapped back, frustrated and groggy. And then he remembered what Tad had told him. Mabel had been snooping. She must have found the diary entry.

“Your sister locked herself in the bathroom, I can’t get her out, neither can Ford.” Stan was stressed, Dipper could tell. 

“Calm down, how long has she been in there?” Dipper said, ignoring the wavering in his own voice. 

“About an hour. Do you think you could talk her out of there?” Dipper nodded, not even sure himself. Stan left the room, probably rushing off to tell Ford of the new development. He raised his hand to rub the sleep out of his eyes, discovering that his cheeks were wet. Had he been crying in his sleep? Was that a normal reaction to executing someone? Dipper thought, questioning himself. Dipper got up, snapping his fingers as blue flames enveloped him. When the flames diminished, he was in the bathroom. 

“Mabel?” He spoke, the shower curtain closed tightly. Dipper stumbled over the books on the floor, glancing down as he did so. His books were on the floor, the letter from Bill and his diary entry in plain view. He heard sobbing from behind the curtain. “Mabel, it’s me,” Dipper spoke softly, slowly pulling the curtain away.

“Sweater town is not accepting any visitors right now,” Mabel mumbled, her sweater covering her head as she continued to cry into it.

“Mabel, I know you were snooping. Hey, it’s okay.” Dipper slipped into the bathtub, sitting across from her. 

“No, it’s not… “ She mumbled back, clutching her knees tighter. “I-I’m gonna.. Grow up w-without you. You’re my twin, Dipper and I w-won’t grow up w-with you.” Mabel looked up, her eyes puffing from crying and snot around her nose. She was upset. 

“Mabel, I won’t ever leave you. I swear it. W-When you're gone… I’ll... I’ll look after your grandkids and your great-grandkids. And one day, I will join you. All demons die eventually, one way or another.” Dipper thought bitterly about the demons he executed that night. One swift flick of a silver blade and they're gone. They were forgotten, mortals long forgetting their existence. He shook his head, snapping out of his thoughts. 

“Why? Why did you listen to me?” Mabel quietly mumbled. Dipper was taken aback, unsure what she meant. “I shouldn’t have pressured you into that crush. It’s all my fault. And I forced you to say goodbye to Bill. And I ignored the fact that you were hurting. It’s my fault your like this.” Mabel was crying, even more salty drops falling onto her sweater.

"No no no! Mabel, it isn’t your fault! It’s mine. I fell in love, I smashed the rift, I accepted the magic. Look, I promise to you that I will never ever leave your side. Ever.” He held out his hand, his pinkie poking upwards. She entwined her own into it, a faint smile on her face.

“It’s a deal, Dipper.” She whispered with a smile. As she did so, Dipper’s hands burst into flames, coating both their hands. It didn’t hurt, in fact, it only just tickled. It vanished a second later, a slight buzz emanating from Dipper’s hand. “Did we just-” Mabel spluttered out, her emotions instantly shifting to surprise.

“-a deal? My God, that actually kinda felt good.” Dipper was smiling, chuckling a second later. “You know, I just met a pair of psychic twins while I was in the Nightmare Realm. They finish each other’s sentences. It’s kinda creepy. Also, I just freed the entire population of the Nightmare Realm by revolting with them and executing the High Council. I kinda don’t feel that-” Dipper clutched his stomach, feeling its contents rising to his throat. He jolted out of the bathtub, flinging the toilet seat open before letting loose the bile and vomit into the bowl with a disgusting squelch. After a moment he sat down on the floor, leaning against the bathtub as he wiped away the vomit. “And there’s the reaction I was waiting for.” 

“Are you okay?” Mabel leant against the edge, looking at him with worry. 

“I’m fine. I guess that reaction was a bit overdue despite the fact I just beheaded six demons.” He chuckled darkly, slowly getting up. Mabel had paled considerably, a look of fright on her face. He instantly turned around, leaning towards her. “Oh no! They weren’t good demons. They were repressing lower demons and taking the power for themselves. I wouldn’t kill anything if I didn’t have to.” 

“Mabel? Are you okay now? Is Dipper in there with you?” Ford’s voice said through the door. His voice seemed to have snapped Mabel out of her daze.

“Oh! I’m fine Grunkle Ford and yes, Dipper is in here with me!” She shouted back, getting out of the bathtub and grabbing a glass before passing it to her brother. “Dipper. You make me worry too much.” He took a sip of water, glancing at her.

“Please don’t worry about me, Mabel. Just don’t. Worrying about me is a lost cause.” He spat out the water in his mouth into the sink with a grimace. 

“How are you getting to the Nightmare Realm, Dip’n’dot?” Mabel questioned, picking up the papers she had left on the ground. Dipper bent down to pick them up, pulling them all from her hands as her cheeks turned pinkier than normal. 

“When I sleep, I wake up there. It’s not as complicated as it seems. When Stan woke me I was in the middle of a crowd of demons. Not fun if my body flat out passes out in front of people. I’m still tired of this place but that isn’t as bad as you’d expect. Least I’m not stuck in the Nightmare Realm. There’s only really a single market-” Dipper paused, his eyes lighting up. He dug around in the only pocket he had, trying to find something. He pulled it out in one flush, holding it out in the palm of his hand. The fabric square was just peaking off the edges of his hand, the small stars still visible despite the black liquid caking on one of the corners. “I got you this.” He passed it over to her with a smile as Mabel’s eyes lit up. 

“What is this fabric? It’s like silk but not. I love it Dipper!” She grabbed her brother into a hug, squealing in joy. “What this black gunk though?” She fiddled with it, confused by it. Dipper felt himself paling. 

“Uh. I probably just spilt some ink or something, don’t worry about it!” He said rapidly, Mabel raising an eyebrow in disbelief.  “It’s nothing. Really. I picked it up will at the only market in town. This old lady was really nice and I wasn’t even being myself. I was under a disguise you see,” Dipper began to tell his story, Mabel sitting down on the floor beside him. He continued to tell his story until dawn peaked through the window, Mabel asleep on his lap. Regret was embedded deep inside of him, Dipper still feeling bad about not being open with his twin until now. “Tad, I know you're there.” He mumbled as Tad appeared in the bathtub. 

“Hello, kid. I’ll tell ya, you passing out afterwards was really funny. Anyway, Buddy told me to give you this, I suggest you read it with your family. Can’t go reading important things without someone else there. I’ll see you tonight. And please try to come because we both know you need sleep, Dipper.” Tad passed over a single closed envelope, smiling. Dipper glanced down at it for a second before looking back up. Tad was gone and Dipper was alone again.

* * *

**Ehzduh zkr brx whoo wkh wuxwk wr,**  
**Ghdwk frxog eh qhdu li brx gr.**  
 **Olih lv iudjloh hyhq iru wkh lppruwdo,**  
 **Grq'w jhw vwdeehg lq wkh vlgh,**  
 **Ehfdxvh brx wxuqhg brxu edfn rq brxu idplob.**


	19. Letters.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Be careful what others overhear. Be careful of who you trust to know.

Dipper stared at the envelope as Ford’s voice echoed in his ears. He was angry, so was Stan. “I can’t believe you’d do this, Dipper!” Ford shouted. 

“It wasn’t his fault!” Mabel snapped back, defending him.

“Actually, it kind of was.” He mumbled, barely audible.

“Just open the damn letter already!” Stan shouted, finally sitting down after standing for so long. Mabel just slowly watched, eating her, now soggy, cereal. Ford had his coffee in hands as he sat down beside his twin. He fiddled with it for a moment, silence falling between the group. Dipper opened the letter, easing the slips of paper out as he held his breath. He unfolded the first one, everyone watching as he did so. 

“What does it say?” Mabel muttered, sticking her nose into it. Dipper pulled it back, her face falling forward as she splashed into her milk. It was only a mild tidal wave, the milk coating her face. 

“Read it out loud, kid,” Stan said, his brows scrunched. 

“Okay, Okay. ‘ _Hey Dip, Tad told me the best way to contact you while your body is MIA was to send you a letter. It’s Buddy by the way. I’ve never written a letter, is this how it goes? Anyway, things turned around after the show in the town square. Demons are still confused about the whole thing and the richies aren’t exactly pleased either but can’t you blame ‘em?”_ Dipper paused for a moment, taking a breath before he resumed.

“Who’s Buddy?” Ford asked, confused.

“He’s a demon I met. That’s beside the point.” Dipper scoffed, waving a hand before resuming the reading of the letter. “‘ _We decided to vote. Is that the word? Vote? ‘Cause demons don’t really vote. I guess we do now. Anyway, we decided to vote on who we wanted to rule us until said ruler died. Attached to this letter are your results that Tad wrote up. He sent one to every demon who was voted for. Anyway, I’ll see you later. Buddy.’_ ” Dipper pulled forward what looked like a formal letter before reading it aloud.

“‘ _Dear Mason ‘Dipper’ Pines, I cordially invite you to take up the mantle of the ruler until you pass.”_ Dipper read that aloud, hardly believing. ‘ _The entire Nightmare Realm voted and you won a ninety-five per cent of the votes. I believe you have earned the title and we all look forward to your new rule. Signed, Tad the Royal Advisor.’_ Oh, he gave himself a title didn’t he?” Dipper was laughing at the fact Tad had given himself a title but he was also laughing out of disbelief. Ford and Stan remained silent, processing the new information.

“The… elected you to be King? By… choice?” Ford spluttered out. Maybe Ford didn’t think demons had the possibility to form a functioning society or even vote correctly.

“What do the other pieces of paper say?” Mabel interrupted their thoughts. They instantly welcomed a new distraction as Dipper pulled the last two sheets up. “And who wrote it?” Dipper squinted before finally seeing the name. 

“It’s from Tad. ‘ _Dear Dipper, I must say congratulations. You turned our entire society upside down in one swift motion. I know full well it must be difficult for your family to comprehend what you’ve done.’_ ” Dipper froze, sheepishly looking at his family who surrounded him. They weren’t looking at him with hate, rather with pride, happiness and fondness. He glanced back down at the letter, resuming it. “‘ _Despite what some might say, demons do care for there young. Bill would be proud of you. I’m proud of you, kid. You’ve come so far from where you started. Most demons are raised without a family, thrust into the unknown without any help but I couldn’t watch that happen to you. I’m proud of who you’ve become and how you’ve faced the difficulties in running the hell-hole that the Nightmare Realm is. The other sheet of paper is a-’_ ” A few tears slipped down his cheeks as he spoke, his voice wavering. 

“I-I can’t read this anymore.” Dipper lowered his hand, wiping the tears from his eyes as Mabel grasped him into a hug. He stood there with shaking breath as Ford slipped the papers out of his hand. Dipper saw Ford’s reaction when the old man read the rest of the letter, swiftly dropping it onto the ground in shock.

“What’s wrong, Sixer?” Stan asked, picking the letter up before he read it. Ford was just staring at Dipper as if he had murdered someone in front of them. 

“You lied!” Ford hissed, picking Dipper up by his vest.

“Grunkle Ford! Stop! What are you doing?!” Mabel screamed, pounding on Ford’s leg as Stan tried to pull Ford off of Dipper. The old man had surprising strength for his age.

“You knew who I was even before I came out of the portal! Didn’t you?!” Ford hissed, angry.

“I did not!” Dipper snapped back, trying to worm out of the old man’s grip.

“Why did you ask me about the rift?” Ford was inches away from Dipper’s face. Dipper wasn’t panicking anymore, rather he was mildly staring at Ford, amusement appearing on his face. Stan froze and so did Mabel. “I SAID WHY DID YOU ASK ME ABOUT THE RIFT!?” Ford was shouting it even louder now. He dropped Dipper, the teenager landing roughly on the table as it smashed under his weight. The bowl on the table slipped and smashed, a shard of it slicing Dipper across the face. It narrowly missed his eye.

Mabel squealed, instantly running over to help Dipper back up. Rather than accepting her help, he shoved her to the side, black blood dripping out of the wound startling Mabel even more. 

He wiped it off, snarling. “I didn’t lie! I have no reason to lie about something like that!” He spat, hissing in pain as he tried to move but found that the butter knife that had been on the table with the other cutlery had dug itself in his side. He yanked it out, his hand in blistering in the process. He was ignoring the protests from Stan who rushed out of the room to get the first aid kit. 

“W-Why is your hand-” Mabel began, trying to see if he damaged himself any further but Ford held her back mid-sentence.

“Explain the letter-” Ford was clutching the letter in his fist, scrunching it tightly.

“It’s old. It’s an old letter, Grunkle Ford.” Dipper interrupted, snatching the letter from his grasp. He hobbled out of the room, clutching his bleeding stomach. He ignored their shouts of protests and kept walking upstairs. 

He went out onto the roof via the attic window, looking at the black liquid coating his fingers and the blisters that coated his other hand. He sat down, dangling his legs off the edge as the sun hovered in the sky. Dipper let lose a small laugh, hissing in pain a second later. He was going to die then and there if he didn’t do anything. Suddenly, a presence appeared beside him, a hand on his shoulder. “What did you do this time?” Dipper realised it was Tad, the demon glancing at the deep wound in Dipper’s stomach.

“A sterling silver butter knife and an angry great uncle.” He mumbled, snapping his fingers as he allowed his flames to appear. 

“That’s a hard one. You really should get rid of anything like that. Did he stab you or…. “ Tad inched closer, pulling Dipper’s hand away.

“It was more of a ‘get thrown into a table and smashing into everything on it’ kind of thing.” Dipper elaborated, holding his arms up as Tad worked on the wound, healing it with magic. 

“Hmf. I leave alone for a few hours and you go and do this. I can’t leave you alone for a second can I?” Tad was using Dipper’s magic as he sat there. He urged the flames towards the wound as they entered his body.

“I’m sorry. It’s not my fault that Grunkle Ford read your letter.” Dipper yawned, already tired as his magic was being drained to heal himself.

“He read my letter, did he? That was an old letter from Bill. I thought you’d like to know what he wrote before he fell in love.” Tad said bitterly.

“Why did you hate Bill so much? You were friends even before he became king.”

“We had a falling out. He didn’t want me coming to reality because it would have ruined whatever plans he had. So I was told to sit and wait until you showed signs of his magic. I knew full well his plan was suicidal. I don’t want you doing anything stupid like that you hear me?” Tad reprimanded, snapping his fingers, bandages appeared in his hands. He motioned for Dipper to remove his t-shirt and he did so, placing it to the side. Tad wrapped the bandages around Dipper’s waist as he grimaced when it was tightened. “Sorry.” Tad mumbled, passing Dipper back his t-shirt. 

“You mentioned that mortals are used to bring back demons. How does the Axolotl play a part in that?” Dipper asked, the question tugging at his mind lately.

“Well, it’s the opposite of a demon, an angelic being. To have darkness you must have light. Therefore, when a demon dies and a bound mortal wants to bring that demon back the Axolotl ‘ _unlocks_ ’ the magic inside of the mortal to allow them to bring back their demon. The magic’s corruption speeds up and the mortal should be dead in around a week. Yet as I've said before, you’re a strange case.” Tad responded, willing more bandages into existence.

“It’s all my fault.” Dipper mumbled, looking across at the trees and into the distance. 

“What is?” Tad unravelled the rest of the bandages, wrapping them around the teenager’s left hand where the blisters were beginning to heal.

“Everything. I-I listened and I followed what Bill said. And I fell in love but it cost me so much. And then I just had to go shake his hand. And then listened again. I’m just a puppet?!” Dipper didn’t notice that he had started crying until he felt the tears running off his chin. “Why must I be the one everyone picks on and the one that people hate. All I did was… love someone.” He was hugging his knees now, Tad silently just sitting there as he listened. 

“Dipper… demons they don’t… they don’t fall in love.” He sputtered out. Tad’s words sent a chill down Dipper’s spine despite the summer heat.

“But I’m technically still human and that’s a problem isn’t it?” He muttered coldly. “I can still fall in love.”

“I didn’t mean that demons can’t fall in love. We just typically don’t. Demons don’t fall in love. It’s easier when you're on your own. You're less of a target. Demons aren’t born the way humans are. We just sorta pop into existence. There’s no reason to forge romantic relationships with one another.” Tad explained, leaning back against the closed window. 

“Then-”

“I dunno why he did, kid. Do you really think I could tell you what Bill was thinking? Look, you really need to sort all your problems out. You also really need to stop blaming yourself for everything.” Tad interrupted, pulling out his pocket watch as he spoke. “I should go. Is there anything you’d like me to tell anyone until tonight?” 

“No. I’ll call if I need you, Tad. And thanks for helping with the butter knife thing.” Dipper responded with a smile.

“Sure thing kid. Get rid of that stuff that’s in your head for once. Until tonight.” And with that Tad vanished, leaving Dipper alone in the sunlight. He heard tourists below, a bus full of them pulling up. He pulled out the crumpled letter in his pocket, sadly looking at before reading the bottom again.

‘ _Dear Pinetree,_

_I find you interesting. I mean, me finding you interesting might be weird._

_I’m a homicidal dream demon who is immortal and you're a mortal who actually has enough brains to get somewhere. When Sixer comes back, you wouldn’t know him yet. You will. Eventually. A rift will form. And I like you enough to ask you to get it for me. I know using you as a puppet was bad but I wanted to ask you for this one favour._

_From, Bill.’_

The letter had so many words crossed out. When was he going to give him this? Dipper pondered, fiddling with the letter. Dipper missed Bill. The hole that existed in his heart was still vacant like a bug-infested hotel room. The one who once filled that hole had been gone for so long Dipper had forgotten what it was like to love another. ‘ _Demons don’t fall in love._ ’ Then why was Bill different?

* * *

**Idwh lv wzlvwhg,**  
**Vr lv wkh lppruwdo'v khduw,**  
 **Wkh Fdop Ehiruh Wkh Vwrup,**  
 **Eh suhsduhg ehiruh wkh kxuulfdqh klwv.**

 


	20. The Calm.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's nothing before the storm.

Dipper lifted his hat up, staring at it for a moment before placing it on his head. His hand was still heavily bandaged so was his stomach from earlier that day but that didn’t faze him. Dipper skidded into the gift shop, instantly slamming into someone as he clenched his eyes closed. When he opened them he found that he had crashed into Wendy, the older teenager instantly helping him up. “Sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going.” He mumbled, brushing himself off. He looked down to see that he had knocked a box over, keychains slipping onto the floor. Dipper knelt down to pick one up by the chain was hissed in pain when the metal stung his hand. “What are these made of?” He clutched his hand tightly as Wendy looked at him in confusion.

“Stan just got them shipped in. He found a bunch of old silverware and decided it was cheaper to reuse the metal than pay for more.” Wendy explained. 

“Great! Now keychains are out to get me!” He snapped, roughly kicking the objects away with his shoe as a few sparks flew around his hands.

“What are you talking about, dude? They’re just novelty keychains. Seriously-”

“I can’t touch silver, Wendy. I can’t touch it or it will hurt me! It won’t kill me but it will hurt. It will only kill me if it mortally wounds me.” He said bitterly, already hating what he was. How Bill survived without coming in contact with silver was beyond Dipper’s knowledge. “Fucking demon weaknesses.” He mumbled, rising to his feet as he willing his flames into existence.

“Aaalright? You wanna join me and my friends for a hangout later, dude?” Wendy picked the keychains up, placing them into the box. He glanced at his hands, seeing the recent burns looking like a faint paper cut now after he healed them. He cut off his flames as he thought about Wendy’s question for a moment before answering.

“Sure. What don’t you think it will be awkward with what happened last summer?” Dipper numbly stated, sticking his hands in his pockets as he leant against the counter. 

“Dip, you’ll be with me. It’s all good.” Dipper actually smiled for once, flicking his fingers as a blue flame appeared. His smile fell a second later.

“And what about the powers? And the fact I cannot touch silver and that I’m technically a demon now?” He sputtered out. Wendy’s smile didn’t waver at all.

“It’s like super cool that you have that. I mean, everything except for the whole silver thing but I mean, who makes anything out of that stuff anymore?” Dipper just pointed to the box with the keychains. Her face went flat, rolling her eyes. “Besides that.”

“You are right. I just gotta avoid jewellery and silverware.” Dipper’s smile returned as the teenager jumped up and sat on the counter. “I noticed your not fazed by the eye anymore.” He commented, noting her calm behaviour. 

“Eh. It’s grown on me. Just like you dummy.” She punched him softly in the arm. There were two loud car horns coming from outside, Wendy perking up as he grabbed her phone off of the counter. Mabel burst through the swinging doors with a smile. 

“Paz is here! Cya Wendy, Cya Dip!” She shouted as she left the shack and jumped into a fancy limo. The other horn belonged to Wendy’s, and technically his, friends. He followed Wendy out of the shack. 

“Hey! It’s Doctor Funtimes and Wendy!” Nate said, spotting Dipper. 

“Hey, guys. How’s it been?” He casually said, sticking his hands back into his pockets. 

“Good. Welcome back, kid. Where you been most of the summer.” Robbie said, clearly much more accepting than last year. Perhaps the realization that he was part of something bigger caused him to change his personality at least a little.

“I’ve just been getting over some personal stuff.” He mumbled, tracing a hand over his right forearm.

“Yo dude, what’s with your eye?” Nate asked. Dipper knew the question was coming, rapidly deciding to tell the truth rather than lie his way around it. 

“It’s a really long story. You don’t really want to-” Wendy began but Lee cut her off.

“C’mon tell us when we get to the graveyard.” They all got onto the van, everyone instantly punching the ceiling of the vehicle.

 /(I)\

They sat on the hill, pointing at clouds as the teenagers pressured Dipper into telling his story. Dipper sat upright as Wendy stared at him with concern. “C’mon, tell us the story already, Dipper.” 

“Right, alright then.” Dipper cracked his knuckles, smirking as he stood up, prepared to use his hands to explain his point. “You all remember Bill?” Robbie seemed to shiver under Dipper’s sight, their joy suddenly turning to silent sadness. “Turns out, he bound himself and his magic to my soul and now I have his powers. I’m technically a demon and I’m the Demon King as voted by the entire Nightmare Realm. The eye, as well as the runes on my arm, are just a side effect from the magic’s attempt at corrupting my soul and I’m immortal now so that’s a plus.” It seemed to take a while for the teenagers in front of him to process the information. 

“This must be a joke.” Thompson spluttered out. Dipper raised an eyebrow, slightly amused by his reaction. 

“Does this look like a joke, Thompson?” And with a flick of his fingers, Dipper summoned his flames, the tiny blue spark appearing on his fingertips as his friend’s eyes went wide.

“Woahhhh!” They said as they all jumped up, crowding around Dipper expect for Wendy who stood at the edge watching silently.

“How are you doing that?” Robbie asked, actually surprised. 

“Magic!” He chuckled, everyone laughing with him. “No really. It’s actual magic. Oh, watch this.” He tossed the fire up and it formed a ball as he caught it again. He threw it upwards again before flicking a finger causing it burst into a fiery mess in the sky above. 

“WOAH!” Even Tambry was looking up from her phone, faintly watching before glancing back down at it. Dipper smiled, a new found joy coursing through his body as he impressed people. Dipper twirled his fingers, his flames returning before he spun them around a finger. The teenagers watched him in an odd fascination, now sitting on the ground. Dipper sat cross-legged as he continued to twirl the fire in his nimble grasp. 

“Thompson, touch it!” Nate shouted, encouraging the teenager to touch the blue flames. 

“Thompson! Thompson! Thompson!” Everyone shouting as Dipper smirked in amusement. He held open his palm as the flames hovered above his hand, flicking. 

“Aw c’ mon guys… “ Thompson complained as Robbie shoved him forward. Thompson held a shaking hand forward, slowly touching the flame in Dipper’s hand. “Woah! I doesn’t hurt, guys!” He muttered, the look on Dipper’s face screaming ‘I told you so’. Dipper snapped his fingers and the flame vanished completely. 

“Awww.” The boys let out a collective groan, raising their hands up in frustration as Dipper stopped. 

“Why did you get rid of it, kid?” Robbie asked. 

“Because it’s draining my energy by using it. Maybe on a day when I haven’t recently healed myself, we can mess around with it again.” His hand had unknowingly wandered down to the bandages under his t-shirt where the butter knife had punctured his body. The feeling of knowing your life could end by a simple kitchen utensil that a child could master was frankly haunting. 

 /(I)\

They ended up wandering to the old ' _Dusk 2 Dawn_ ', the haunted store still the same way they had left it. Dipper watched as Robbie pried to door open, struggling with it due to the build-up of rust since last time. Nate eventually started to help, Dipper noticing a shadow lurking around the building. He ignored it, turning back to his friends. “Ugh! It’s stuck. That’s what we get for trying to sneak in again.” Robbie grumbled, giving up on his attempt.

“Why don’t you make Dipper go through the vents again?” Lee suggested. Dipper shook his head, confusing the teenagers.

“Vents are typically made of sheet metal. Sheet metal contains a small percentage of sterling silver. I cannot touch silver. It might just leave faint marks but I don’t want to risk hurting myself again.” Dipper commented. “Plus, I have an easier way in.” He motioned for them to come close. They gathered around him. 

“Ugh. This is weird.” Tambry complained as Dipper snapped his fingers, blue flames completely enveloping them. After the flames had vanished, the group of teenagers stumbled onto the ground, wide-eyed. 

“Woahhh. That was actually kinda cool.” Robbie said, landing on his face as he stumbled after the teleportation. Dipper helped him up, Wendy assisting Thompson who had also fallen over.

“Good idea coming along, kid,” Nate said, glancing around. The group ran around, Dipper panicking when he felt a hand touching his shoulder. Dipper turned to see Wendy there. 

“Ah! Don’t frighten me, Wendy. Seriously.” He sputtered out, yawning after a second. 

“This is fun isn’t it? And you're not being judged or anything either, huh? Mabel told me you were having trouble in terms of your social life. Just remember, you’ll always be one of us, Dipper.” Wendy said sincerely, patting him on the back.

“Yeah, school was kinda hard when the entire world knows you’re a gay idiot who dated a demon.” He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling awkward.  

“You’re not an idiot, dude. I mean, last I checked no one says ‘contains a small percentage’ but you. And you’re not one hundred percent gay last I checked.” She raised an eyebrow, smirking as she hinted at what he stated last summer to her while in the woods. 

“I mean yeah. I still do like girls but what does that matter. I’m still an outcast. Least the demons accept me.” He idly kicked up some dust, biting his lip before yelping in surprise when it actually hurt.

“Dude, you okay?” Wendy asked through a laugh. He placed a finger against his lip, trying to stop the bleeding until he healed completely.

“I just bit my lip a bit-” He stopped when he touched the top of his teeth, feeling sharp canines. “That’s new. My teeth a sharper now.” 

“That would be the second last stage of transformation, kid.” A voice from above said, startling Dipper as he fell backwards in shock. Tad was sitting on one of the shelves, smirking. 

“You okay, kid?” Robbie peaked his head from around the shelves, noticing Dipper’s surprise. “You’re not seeing ghosts are you?” He joked, Dipper shakily getting up with the help of Wendy. 

“Is he normally like this when you show up?” Another voice Dipper instantly reconsidered said. Dipper’s gaze went back up, noticing that Buddy was also sitting on the metal shelves. 

“You alright Dipper?” Wendy clearly couldn’t see the two demons above them.  

“I-I.. okay. I’m fine. I just need to g-go deal with something!” He shuttered, his eyes darting back towards the shelf. 

“Uh okay?” Wendy muttered, confused as Dipper rushed to where the freezer was located, no one else nearby as his friends crowded around the dancing machine by the entrance. 

“What the fuck are you doing here?!” Dipper hissed, his voice a whisper as he spat at Tad and Buddy.

“Well, it’s nice to see you too,” Buddy grumbled, crossing his arms.

“Dipper, this was found in the throne room under an hour ago.” Tad held forward a box that was about the size of a shoe box, Dipper’s real name scrawled on the top. He recognised the handwriting instantly. He grabbed the box, tilting it over as he looked on the bottom. There were demon runes drawn on the bottom in black ink, Dipper instantly translating them. ‘ _Open when you’re alone_.’ was what was written. “Do you have any idea who-”

“Bill. This was Bill’s.” He muttered, feeling a sudden surge of emotions. Dipper willed himself not to burst into tears in front of the two demons. 

“How did you-” Buddy began.

“I just do. Look, I’m currently busy and I don’t really want to seem insane in front of my friends. Now-”

“Dipper before you dismiss us, this was also found.” Tad opened his palm to show a small pinetree shaped charm. A single triangle in the centre. Dipper’s heart skipped a beat when he saw it. With shaking hands, Dipper pulled on the chain that was hidden under his shirt, pulling it out so it was visibly dangling on his chest. The triangle with the pinetree in the centre the opposite of the one that sat in Tad’s hand. Gingerly, Dipper picked it up, silently looking at it. 

“What’s so important-” Buddy tried to mutter but Tad covered his mouth. Buddy just rolled his eyes, his face scrunched in frustration of being shut up. 

“Bill gave me a matching one when… “ His voice trailed off, choking on his sadness. Dipper felt a tear slipping from his eye, unable to hold back the sudden stream of emotion. He raised a hand behind his neck, unlatching the necklace before slipping the pinetree charm on. Dipper did the necklace back up, the two charms sitting together on his chest. “Thanks for that. I-I’ll call you guys if I need you. I’ll see you tonight after this anyway.” Dipper noted that the sun had set ages ago, the lights of the abandoned store the only thing supplying light.

“Alright. Let’s go Buddy.” Tad turned, patting Dipper on the shoulder for a second.

“Aw c’mon, Tad! I’m technically-” Buddy was cut off when the vanished, leaving a silent Dipper behind. Dipper fell down on the ground, leaning against the nearest shelf as more tears dripped down his cheeks, clutching the box tightly.

“Yo, Dipper-” Robbie said, coming around the corner before stopping. “What’s wrong?” 

“N-Nothing. I’m fine.” Dipper stumbled to wipe his tears away, instantly deciding it would be uncool to cry in front of Robbie. 

“Dude, I may not be all emotional like girls and stuff. But seriously, what’s wrong?” Robbie actually sounded sincere, sitting down beside the fledgling demon. He seemed to have spotted the box in Dipper’s arm. “Is it something to do with that box?”

“Sort of.”

“Look, I remember what you said back during… that time. Do you miss that triangle or is it something else?” The older teenager seemed to know what not to say despite that fact that the two of them hadn’t really ever been close enough to be friends.

“I miss him… “ Dipper mumbled, burying his head deeper into his arms.

“Dude, I’ve been dumped before. It sucks and I know how heartbreak or what girls call it.” Robbie suddenly looked sad before his emotions changed again. “But you gotta remember, that people still wanna be your friend and you might just find love again.”

“When did you get sappy, Robbie?” He chuckled in response.

“Dude. Don’t tell anyone. Tambry changed me I guess.” Robbie’s eye lit up when he spoke about his girlfriend. Dipper smiled, glancing down at the box before it grew wider.

 /(I)\

Dipper walked up to the front door. The box was tucked under his arm as he opened the door. He had thought that Stan and Ford would be asleep by this point but they weren’t. He heard voices in the living room, sobbing another noise echoing into his ear. “What’s going on?” He mumbled, entering the room to discover Mabel raggedy crying into Grunkle Stan’s arms, both Ford and Stan’s eye filled with concern. “What happened?”

“M-Mom and D-Dad… “ Mabel sobbed out, racked with sorrow as she struggled to speak.

“They’re in hospital… on life support, kid.” Stan’s words were like a sucker punch to Dipper’s stomach, the fledgling demon unable to believe those words. Denial, the first stage of grief.

“That’s… impossible… “ He sputtered out, gripping his hair with his hands. “How?! How did it happen?!” 

“A car accident. We’re going to go see them before…” Ford struggled to say.

“They only have a few days to live, don’t they?” Dipper coldly stated, tears slipping down his cheeks. He had forgotten the box in his arms, placing it down on the table before slumping down in a chair. Mortality was something he would never have to live with anymore. That didn’t mean the people he loved couldn’t die. And it was heartbreaking.

* * *

**Lw jhwv zruvh ehiruh lw jhwv ehwwhu,**  
**Olih dqg ghdwk,**  
 **Wkh edodqfh lv iudjloh,**  
 **Hprwlrqv duh zhdnhu wkdq edodqfh.**

 


	21. Before.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated."
> 
> -Confucius

Mabel tossed a pillow across the room, smiling as Pacifica got hit in the face. Surrounded by pillows and blankets, Mabel shifted her weight so she was laying on her stomach as she watched Pacifica pull out movies from a small box under the large TV that sat in front of them. "I can't believe you've got all these movies! My parents would never let me watch ' _Heathers'_ or what's that movie about the hot vampire? Ugh, it has a book series it's based on, right? I've read them before but I can't remember the title."

"' _Twilight'_? They're… eh." Pacifica said, chuckling afterwards. "I think you've had better supernatural boyfriends than whatever is going on during that story."

"Yeah. I think I've worn out my love for love a bit since last summer, though. I'm more worried about Dipper than my love life." Mabel's cheerfulness suddenly fell. Pacifica instantly picking up on that.

"Hey, at least you've got me as a friend. I'm bound to think that Dipper will be fine, Mabes. Until then, you can always hang over at my place if he-" Pacifica was cut off when a butler entered the room, holding the receiving end of a telephone out.

"It's for Miss Mabel, it's from her great uncle." The butler spoke, thrusting the phone forward. Mabel slowly rose up, grasping the blue object in her hand as she pressed it to her ear.

"Hello?" She spoke into it, confused.

" _Mabel? Thank god. Stanley and I just got a call from a hospital in Piedmont."_ Ford's voice came through the speaker, Mabel's hands shaking.

"What's happened?" She practically screamed into the phone.

" _Your parents. They were in an accident, they're-"_ Mabel had frozen up, dropping the phone onto the ground, wide-eyed as tears formed.

"Mabel? What's wrong?" Pacifica was instantly at her side, concerned and worried. Mabel didn't respond, she just grabbed onto Pacifica as she began to sob.

 /(I)\

Dipper entered the attic bedroom, Mabel already asleep in her bed, her eyes puffy with the amount of crying she had been doing. He kicked his shoes off, flicking the lantern on. He sat down on his bed, box in his lap. Dipper carefully opened the lid. His eyes grew wide when he saw what was inside. Piles upon piles of photographs spilled out of the box, letters included among the memories. 

Photos of Bill, Dipper, Mabel and random supernatural creatures alike were pictured in each image. Dipper pulled one out, an image of Bill standing there with Mabel, both wearing matching sweaters. Dipper felt his body being racked with even more sadness than before the further into the box he got. And then he discovered the morbid and gruesome pictures, splattered with brown and dried blood. Dipper instantly shoved them back into the box, shutting his eyes off from kindling the dried memories that haunted his waking days. With shaking hands he clutched onto his knees. He hadn’t told anyone what he had witnessed during Weirdmaggedon, the chilling screams still following him like a ghost. 

 /(I)\

Dipper flinched, the cold stone of the black bricked wall cold against his back as he watched the scene in front of him. Spine chilling screams were being belted out by the person in front of him, Bill smiling insanely as he committed the terrible act of murder in front of Dipper. “P-Please!” The person begged, his body covered in cuts and burn marks as he held out a ragged hand towards him. 

“Hey! Get back here you!” Bill snapped, dragging the human back as he finally died, Bill tossing the body onto a pile that was stacked dangerously high. “Bring in the next one!” An eyeball bat flew in, a stone statue of women with a child was hovering in its eye beam. 

The statue was lowered down, the two becoming unfrozen. “-please! What..?” The women looked at her surroundings finally noticing Bill, the triangle leaning against his cane while hovering. “No! P-Please no!” She screamed, shielding the young child from Bill. Then she spotted Dipper, her eyes wide and pleading. Bill had gained an unhealthy habit of grabbing people before torturing them, ultimately killing them in the end. As well as making Dipper watch as he did so. Dipper froze, his arm held forward, like a deer in headlights. Bill seemed to have noticed that. With a burst of fire, the demon changed into his human form, making his way over to Dipper. He snaked his arms around the pre-teen, leaning close to Dipper’s ear. 

“I have an idea. Why do you kill them, Pinetree?” He whispered, his voice filled with malice. 

“What?! NO!” Dipper spluttered out. Bill pouted, his face sagging. 

“Awww. C’mon. Just this one time.” He was acting like a child, begging and begging for Dipper to commit it.

“Bill-” Dipper began but Bill clasped a hand over his mouth, Dipper staring into Bill’s eyes as the demon smirked. He twirled Dipper around with a swish of his finger, a dagger appearing in Dipper’s hand with a flash of blue flames. “No! Bill, stop it!” It was as if his muscles were refusing to move, his body slowly moving forward against his will. He screwed his eyes closed as he felt the dagger embedding itself into the person in front of him, a woman’s screaming that was followed by a child-like gurgled gasp. His body then spun around, the dagger going through another soft body. Dipper opened his eyes, his shaking hands dropping the sharp weapon with a clatter. He recoiled in fright, looking down at his own hands that were now stained a deep crimson. Bill’s shrill laugh echoed in his ears as he stared at the two dead corpses in front of him, blood pooling on the ground. He was the one who screamed the next.

 /(I)\

Dipper jolted from his thoughts, accidentally knocking the box onto the ground as he mind raced to forget that moment he had long buried deep into his subconscious. He felt hot, his shirt was plastered to his body as he knelt down to pick up the photos. He picked up the last one, his eyes lingering on it for a second. A moment perfectly preserved in the past, images of blue crystals in the background with two figures sitting down next to each other, one with a pinetree hat, the other smirking like the devil himself. Who knew that a monster like that was disguised as an innocent person once upon a time. Dipper didn’t know who he was targeting the question at, Bill or himself.

 /(I)\

The next morning was a sombre day, a thunderstorm approaching from the distance which suited the mood perfectly. The RV was parked outside, prepared to carry large boxes back with them. Dipper knew full well that his parents were about to die. The doctors had declared to Ford and Stan that the twin’s parents only had a few days left on the mortal coil.

They loaded onto the RV, Dipper sitting down beside Mabel in the back as Ford drove with Stan sitting nearby. There was silence through the RV. Dipper unbuckled his seat belt, getting up to get a drink when they passed the sign welcoming those to Gravity Falls. And then suddenly, it was as if Dipper had hit a wall, his body flying back as he landed on the ground with a groan. “GRUNKLE FORD! STOP THE RV!” Mabel screamed, noticing her brother landing on the floor. Her voice was warped, the barrier between them preventing Dipper from hearing her well. He got up slowly, pressing a hand against the orange, bubble-like barrier holding him out from the rest of his family. Dipper pounded his fists against it to no avail. Ford ran forward, eyes wide as he saw the scene in front of him.

“What’s going on, Sixer?” Stan shouted, standing nearby.

“My god. Gravity Falls weirdness magnesium. It’s keeping Dipper trapped in Gravity Falls.” Ford muttered, stepping half-way through the barrier. “Dipper, I’m about to tell you the equation to solve this. Just give me a moment.” Ford moved closer, whispering in the teenager’s ear the equation. Dipper repeated it slowly, his mind instantly filing it away. The barrier burst like a bubble, showering them in orange glitter. Dipper held a hand forward, discover there to be no barrier anymore.

“Thanks, Grunkle Ford.” He mumbled, smiling. Yes, thank you indeed Sixer for giving me exactly what I needed, Dipper thought.

“Can we get back on the road? We don’t have a lot of time.” Stan said, sitting in the driver's seat as he took over.

 /(I)\

The journey was uneventful after that, Mabel fading in and out of consciousness as Dipper worked on political papers. And then the RV jolted to a stop, Mabel instantly waking up as her seatbelt was pulled tight. Groggily, Mabel spoke. “Where are we?” 

“We’re at the hospital. C’mon.” Stan said, his voice filled with grimness. Ford and Stan lead the sleepy twins towards the large building, entering the reception. A young lady sat at the desk, her eyes frowned with sleep and worry. A nurse. She probably dealt with cases like theirs on a daily basis.

“Pardon me, we’re here to see Mr and Mrs Pines?” Ford addressed, adjusting his glasses. The woman looked at them for a moment before checking her computer and a few papers she had on her desk. 

“That will be room twenty-six. They only have a while. You should say your goodbyes.” She droned, her voice thick with haziness and smoke. She pointed down the corridor, towards an elevator, a sign saying _‘Intensive Care Ward’_ beside it. Sombrely, the group went towards the elevator, mid-day sun peaking through the windows. They went inside the elevator, it stopping on the third floor after going upwards. They stepped off of lift as they went down the corridor. Doctors and nurses ran around, some with medical equipment, some without. They paused outside the door labelled twenty-six, Stan slowly opening it. The first thing Dipper heard was the beeping of the machines, followed by laboured breathing and then small voices. He froze in the doorway, Mabel, Stan and Ford both entering the room. Their parents were covered in bandages, mangled and only just clinging to life. What do you say to your parents when they’re on the brink of death? 

“Hey, Mom. Hey, Dad.” Mabel said, holding back the tears that grew in her eyes. “T-There’s so much I-” She burst out into sobbing, collapsing in a chair as Stan comforted her. Ford stood silently by the door, watching as the twin’s parents struggled to speak. 

“Ma...bel…, Ma...son.” Their mother managed to say, Dipper instantly standing by her side. 

“Mom, please. Save your voice. God, there’s so much I want to tell you two but I know your on death’s doorstep. T-This… “ Dipper felt himself tearing up, wiping them away with his sleeve. “I want to make you proud. I always wanted to be the best son. O-One you could be excited over. I-I know I’ve disappointed you-” Dipper couldn’t hold his emotions back anyone, her cheeks covered with tears. 

“Y...ou..r… ey...e-” His father was the one to speak next.

“It’s a long story. One I haven’t got time to explain… “ He mumbled, hating himself for not trying to prevent the invisible doom that was looming above them.

“Mum, Dad. I love you so much. Please don’t leave us.” Mabel sobbed out, clutching onto their bedside.

“We…. l..ove… y..ou… bo… th.” His mother spoke, taking a shaky breath. And then the machines stopped beeping, a long flat noise the only thing they could hear through the haze. Dipper burst out into tears, clinging to his sister as Ford and Stan grabbed them into a hug, both machines creating that noise that ruined their lives. It was a dark day for the Pines family.

* * *

**Wlph zdlwv iru qr rqh.**  
**D eurnhq pdq,**  
 **D zdb wr ila lw doo,**  
 **Zlwk plvwdnhv lq wkh ixwxuh.**  
 **Kh zloo eh wkh vhfrqg wr idoo,**  
 **Dv idwh fdxvhv wkh grzqidoo ri,**  
 **Wkh pljkwb iruhvw qrwklqj pruh,**  
 **D zdvwhodqg ri vdgqhvv.**

 


	22. The Storm.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the eye of the hurricane.

They say that there's a moment of peace when you're stuck in the eye of a hurricane, the swirling mess of sorrow and doom hovering so near but just far enough not to harm those in its centre. It's quiet for just a moment before everything comes crashing down. Life had come crashing down of the Pines family, the new yet fractured family struggling to move past the death of the young twin's parents. A nurse had rushed in, ushering them out through the young twin's wailing. Doctors, nurses and patients alike paused for a moment, glancing in their direction as the group sunk deeper into depression. Sombrely, they all returned back to Gravity Falls, different from when they first left.

Dipper hadn't moved from the attic bedroom in days, mourning for the parents he had lost just like he had when Bill had perished. The teenager clinging to anything that reminded him of them, sobbing as tears fell onto his pillow. His hair was matted and messy, his shirt wrinkled and stained. Mabel was over at Pacifica's. The young blonde had somehow convinced his twin to leave the house. It was different for him. Boxes filled with their belongings filled the room, taken from their suburban house in Piedmont to here. Stan and Ford were legally the twin's guardians now.

"Hey, kid." Dipper didn't move from his closed off position on the bed. Tad moved forward, gently patting Dipper on the shoulder. "How are you doing?" 

"Leave me alone, Tad," Dipper mumbled his voice cold and empty. 

"Come on, kid. You've got to get out of this." Tad was sitting on the side of the bed now.

"I said leave me alone, Tad." He hissed, glaring at the demon. 

"Death is normal for demons, Dipper. We witness on a daily basis. You just need to get used to it. I know you've lost so many that you love but you need to get past that, Dipper. We can't have a ruler who's too depressed to lead. I-"

"FUCK OFF TAD!" The sheets burst into flames, Tad jolting up from the bed. The older demon brushed his suit off, looking at Dipper with a painful look. He didn't need Tad's pity. The flames dissipated, crumbling to soot and ash. Tad vanished just like that, Dipper feeling regret washing over him like a wave, his tears stopping for a moment as he held out a hand towards the empty air where Tad had stood seconds before.

Dipper glanced out the window, moonlight filtering through the triangular window. Tad was right. He finally got up, stretching a little before exiting the attic bedroom. Slowly, he made his way towards the bathroom, shutting the door behind himself.

/(I)\

"Dipper, can you come down for a second?" A voice shouted from the stairway, Stan's voice echoing in the teenager's ears. Sombrely, Dipper went downstairs, a towel still draped across his shoulders as his damp hair clung to his neck.

"What is it, Grunkle Stan?" Dipper said, a hint of curiosity in his voice as he entered the living room. Stan was sitting at the table, Ford and Mabel nowhere to be seen. Dipper crossed his arms, slightly suspicious of his great uncle's intentions.

"I just wanted to ask how you were going. I saw that you left your room and I was just wonderin'." Stan explained, shuffling through what seemed to be bills as he adjusted his glasses.

"Oh." He hadn't expected that question. "I'm fine." Dipper knew it was a lie the moment it left his lips. Stan seemed to have noticed it was a white lie as well.

"Dipper, you know-"

"-I can tell you anything? I shouldn't be the one you're concerned over, Grunkle Stan. Death is normal for demons." Dipper coldly spoke, Stan visibly chilled as the teenager spoke.

"You are not a-"

"-Demon? I may not act like one but I assure you, I am one of them. I don't bleed colour anymore." He cut Stan off for a second time, slumping down into the lounge chair as the old man just stared. "Death is normal. It's a part of life. It's something I need to get used to. One day, you'll die, Grunkle Stan. And then Grunkle Ford and then Mabel. Eventually, everyone I know in this reality will be dead. I'll be the one to you all leave behind. I'll be the one who buries you all. I'll be the one who remains young forever, aging inch by inch each month, eventually, the aging slowing until it stops." Dipper's voice was wavering, his voice filled with sadness that threatened to choke his voice.

Yet the teenager continued. "Death is normal for demons. They witness death on a daily basis. Some days, a demon will be summoned by a mortal looking for a deal. Some of them are on their deathbeds, ridden with cancer. Nothing can stop cancer. Nothing can stop fate. But fate can and will be re-written." Dipper was holding his hand open, flames dancing across his exposed palm as his body began to shake even more.

"Dipper, are you alright, kid?" Stan was kneeling down beside Dipper, ignoring the flames as he looked at the demon fledgling with concern.

"My fate was re-written, Grunkle Stan. The moment it was, my parents were destined towards death. All because I fell in love." Dipper let out a sob, his emotions becoming overwhelming as the flame died in his hand. In one swift motion, Stan was grabbing Dipper into a hug as the teenager clung to Stan. "I d-don't want it to be normal." Dipper was crying, wailing as he did so. "I don't w-w-want to see you die. I love y-you too much. But even an immortal w-with enough power to destroy a galaxy c-can't-" Stan was silently sitting there, unsure how to proceed. "It's not very manly to cry is it?"

"Kid, it's alright to cry. Geez, with everything you've been through I'm surprised you haven't-" Stan paused, hesitation in his voice. "I know what it feels like to leave someone behind. Just promise me this, you won't do anything stupid."

"Define stupid," Dipper mumbled, wiping the tears away.

"Just… Just don't do anything that might… risk your life in any way. Cause kid, I don't think your sister could survive with ya." Dipper could tell Stan was suggesting something. Something that Tad had suggested as well.

"If you're suggesting that I might end up suicidal, I assure you, Grunkle Stan, that the least likely option I will ever take. I have a duty to uphold, remember?" He mumbled, clearly aware that his great uncle was still concerned about his safety.

"I know, kid, I know." Stan sighed, tracing a hand through his thinning hairline. "I know."

/(I)\

Dipper flicked through the TV, Stan's voice echoing through the gift shop doors nearby as he began to order Soos around once more. Mabel sat at the foot of the chair, munching on raw sugar packets as they watched the electronic box show them images. There was a temporary silence that they had agreed to. Dipper let out an audible groan as he pressed the button for the fifth time. "There's nothing on." He grumbled.

"Did you try the documentary channel? Or the 'Used to Be About History Channel'?" Mabel suggested, lowering her empty packets. Dipper shrugged, flicking to the documentary channel before letting loose an exasperated groan.

"Uhhhhhh! You've got to be kidding me." He complained.

"Ugh! I thought they stopped airing that. Dipper, we don't have-" Mabel was cut off when Dipper spoke.

"No, it's fine. We didn't even bother watching it when it first came out. Now is a better time than ever, don't you think?" A trace of malice coated Dipper's voice as he looked at the program as began to start. Mabel suddenly grabbed the remote from Dipper's hands, roughly turning it off in the process. "What-"

"Dipper. Just don't. T-They recorded…. " Mabel trailed off. He knew what she was trying to say and his gaze fell.

"I know, Mabes. I'll have to see you-"

"Don't you dare say that. Don't you ever say that again, Dipper Pines!" Mabel screamed. She knew. She knew deep down that Dipper was lying about how he felt. And she was right.

"I can't help it, Mabel! I can't… I can't save anyone. But as Tad said, you can never have a ruler that's too depressed to function." Dipper hands were shaking, Mabel's anger shifting to concern.

"Dipper, can't you find a way to get rid of this? Isn't there an undo button?" She mumbled. She was panicked and hysterical now.

"There's nothing I can do. It will kill me, Mabel, you know that! I… " She had turned away from him, her face facing the wall.

"I know. I just want things to be the way they were." Mabel turned back towards him, teary-eyed.

"Mabes, things can't be reversed. But I'll say this, as long as we're together, it will be the same. Always."

* * *

**Pioneer Day,**  
**Wkh gdb ixoo ri olhv.**  
 **Zkhq wkh erqg whduv,**  
 **Zkr zloo slfn xs wkh slhfhv?**  
 **Wkh hqg lv frplqj rqfh pruh,**  
 **Zdu dssurdfkhv.**


	23. A Flame.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anything can happen. Anyone can die. Anyone can lie. Anyone can betray another.

Mabel was laying on her back, staring up at the ceiling as she heard her brother's gentle snores. Something was bugging her. She couldn't sleep knowing Dipper was up to something.

She shifted her weight, glancing out the darkened window, the sky outside studded with stars. Summer felt so long. It was already getting close to Pioneer Day yet Mabel felt like it was already July. Time was slipping away so slowly. And when it was over, fall would be upon them. Starting at a new school with more prejudice against her and her twin wasn't exactly what she was looking forward to. Nor was facing her birthday without her parents. There was a dull thump where her heart once was, it shattered yet still able to function. But it didn't work the way it used to. Not after their deaths. She questioned that feeling. Had Dipper felt the same way when Bill died? How could he seem to handle it better than her? Mabel felt bitter about it. Bitter about the fact she was unable to cope despite the cheerful facade she had been portraying.

She knew she was clinging to the semblance that she continued to use. The happiness was lost. Fallen deep into the abyss as she struggled to keep it afloat. The fire of hope had dismissed to a single flame, kept alive by the wish of a new beginning. The trust between the siblings was waning. A spider-like fracture in the glass protecting the inevitable. "Why can't I cope, Waddles?" She mumbled, clinging onto the sleeping pig in her arms. He didn't seem to stir, nor would he understand. Dipper suddenly jolted awake, mumbling as he spoke.

"Augh.. Dammit… " He groaned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Dipper didn't seem to notice his twin's wakeful state, rather, he rose from his bed and left the room without another word. Mabel assumed he had vanished to either the bathroom or the window, the latter most likely his intended destination. Mabel let loose a deep breath, trying to steady herself as she felt her body shake. She was crying again. It felt like hours as she sat up, flicking the lantern on as it bathed her in a warm glow. Even Waddles awoke, looking confused as tears dripped down Mabel's checks.

"Why Waddles…? Why do I feel so sad? There's something wrong with Dipper and I'm worried." She sobbed out, her legs cross-legged on the bed as the pig sat in front of her. All Waddles responded with was a single oink. "I wish I could help him." She was whispering now, hugging her pillow in the progress.

"I can help!" A voice said, startling Mabel. She whipped her head around with a slight squeal. There was a thin yet tall man sitting on Dipper's bed. Mabel had never seen him before and she had no clue how he had ended up in her attic bedroom. His attire was hauntingly familiar. It reminded Mabel of the clothing she had seen Bill wearing last summer.

"W-Who.. Are you?" Mabel spluttered out, too startled to cry anymore. The man jumped up, extending a wide hand in greeting.

"Tad. Tad Strange. Nice to meet you! Wow, it feels good to be physically again after a while." Mabel's eyes went wide in realization at his name. The demon stretched his arms, rolling them around in their sockets. He was smirking slightly, demonic canines showing.

"Dipper's mentioned you before." His smile grew. And then she remembered one of the townsfolk."Aren't you-" She began but the demon cut her off.

"Different person. That's a strange story to tell, honestly. But back to the point of why I'm here. I must thank you for the summon. I've been meaning to meet you eventually."

"I didn't summon you. I-"

"You made a wish, didn't you? I can make it happen, kid. Just a shake of the hand and it's done. All I'll need is something in return." The demon's smile fell as if it wasn't normal for him to act like this. Perhaps he was holding up a facade too.

"And what would that be?" She meekly spoke, still frightened by his appearance.

"I'm glad you asked."

/(I)\

Mabel was dealing with something terrible. Something demonic. She was too deep to return. She might as well follow her brother and at least attempt to fix it. She was looking at Tad's open hand, his deal flicking through her thoughts as she struggled to process it. "Is it a deal?"

"It's a deal." She spoke, her voice was soft as she gripped onto the hand. Rather than flames, a transparent snake-like object twined around their hands before vanishing. Perhaps deals were different for every demon. Mabel would have to ask Dipper about that. The demon sat down on Dipper's bed with a sigh, pulling out what seemed to be a pocket watch. He flicked the cover closed with a swish of his wrist before tucking it back into his pocket. The door to the attic opened, breaking the silence that had been growing. Dipper entered the room, instantly spotting Tad on his bed. Dipper didn't seem surprised by the demon's presence. Perhaps he showed up daily and Mabel just couldn't seem him. Mabel didn't know at that point. She had lost track of the questions she was buzzing to ask.

"I didn't know you were up." He spoke, finally noticing Mabel who sat upright on her own bed. Waddle had already fallen back asleep, neatly curled up beside his owner. Dipper glanced at Tad for a moment. "I need to go-"

"I can see him, Dip," Mabel mumbled, slightly embarrassed by this newest development.

"Oh." was all Dipper said, glancing back at Tad who was sheepishly shrugging. "Well, that's new. Care to explain, Tad." Dipper rubbed his eyes, yawning as he spoke.

"She accidentally summoned me." Tad lied. Mabel knew it was a complete and utter lie.

"Really now?" Even Dipper didn't seem to believe it. "That's an interesting development. Is there any other reason why you're still here, Tad?" Dipper seemed slightly bitter as if he had a recent disagreement between the two of them. Mabel didn't want to pry.

"Actually, I have a few letters from the elites. And their daughters." Tad smirked, holding out a bundle of letters.

"Seriously? What point of ' _I'm too young to marry your daughters_ ' don't they get?" Dipper snapped, snatching the letters as Mabel let loose a laugh. "What?!"

"Nothing. I just didn't think that girls would be into… you!" She responded to his question, bursting out into hysterical laughter.

"Haha. Very funny. I'll speak with you later, Tad." Dipper was trying to usher Tad out of the room completely. The demon glanced back at Mabel before simply vanishing without another word. "How the heck did you summon him?" Dipper asked, rubbing his tired eyes.

"I dunno. One minute I was alone and the next he showed up. Is there something you're not telling me, Dip?" Mabel asked, ignoring the sleep that pressed down on her.

"No. There's nothing." With that, Dipper slipped into his bed, turning away as he flicked the lantern off. Mabel fell onto her back, staring up at the ceiling as she heard him muttering a few things.

Mabel felt a droplet of fear falling into the pit of her stomach. An icy chill of worry covered her despite the late night, summer heat and the blanket over her chest. She was worried for their future, for Dipper's future even more.

/(I)\

Mabel sat at the table, a half-eaten bowl of cereal and a glass of Mabel Juice beside her. She plunged her spoon back into the milky sugar mess that was her breakfast. She gulped down the food a second later as Dipper walked through the doorway. "Morning Mabel." He said with a yawn, going to the fridge instantly. He pulled out some left-over bacon from last night's jumbled mess of a dinner. They really needed to go shopping. He sat down at the table, munching down on his makeshift breakfast silently.

"So… " Mabel muttered, trying to break the silence. "How did you sleep?"

"Fine." Was all Dipper mumbled. He seemed stressed today, tense almost.

"Pioneer Day is tomorrow. Paz invited us to join in for horse riding or something. She doesn't exactly like Pioneer Day as much as she used to. She still has to officially announce the day though." She explained, a faint smile appearing on both of their faces.

"Horse riding sounds fun. I've been practising recently too." She grew confused. "Um… Here. I thought you might… need it." Dipper thrust forward his hand, his words being so cryptic as he spoke. In the palm of his hand was a necklace. There was a single charm, shaped like her symbol from the Wheel. Dipper's hand waited, outstretched toward her. Gingerly, she picked up, flicking the charm around to discover that there was something written in demon that she couldn't read.

"This is incredible, Dipper. What does it say?" She asked, unclasping the hook on the end of the chain before looping it around her neck and fastening it.

"It doesn't mean anything. Just your name…. " He was lying. She knew it. Mabel realized the charm was glowing a faint white. Curious, she asked.

"Why is it-"

"Just a side effect of making it. Don't worry about." He was lying again. Why he was lying, Mabel didn't know. Just then, a figure appeared by the fridge, slightly startled and seemingly panicked. His red hair was messy and the light green hoodie and jeans he wore were burnt in a few spots. He was clutching a bundle of letters. "Buddy?! What are you doing here?!" Dipper was startled by this person's appearance. It was the other demon Dipper had mentioned. Yet why would she see him? Her eyes wandered to the necklace around her throat. Her mind connected the dots relatively easily despite the fact she had never possessed the skills of deduction like her brother. The necklace was the reason she could see the demon in front of them.

"Dipper, it's urgent. I don't have a lot of time. It's Tad." Buddy spoke, glancing over his shoulder as if he was being followed.

"What about Tad?"

"He broke two of the laws. H-He.. He.." Buddy was overflowing with panic, Dipper darting up and trying to comfort the demon.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm Mabel by the way. Just calm down, okay?" Mabel tried to coax him to calm down.

"Buddy, sit down. What laws did Tad break?" Dipper helped Buddy into a chair, Mabel placing a hand on the demon's shoulder to attempt to comfort him. He was shaking not from the cold or from sickness, but from sheer fear.

" _Fili Hominis Violenti Rapiunt Versperum.'_ and ' _Servos Dominis Mortale'_ " Buddy spoke, Dipper's eyes going wide.

"What does that mean?" Mabel asked, confused as panic began to set in.

"Forceful Mortal Sacrifice and Mortal Slave. He broke-That's… That's… an offence punishable by death. How did you discover this?" Dipper was disgusted, so was Mabel. Buddy pushed a bunch of letters into Dipper's hands. Most of them were just documents. Mabel watched as her brother's face paled considerably after reading the third one. And then he glanced at her. "What did you do, Mabes?" He spoke softly at first. Mabel felt the colour draining from her own face. "What did you do?!" He was louder now, on the brink of yelling.

"Nothing. I-" She was cut off when he yelled.

"That's not what these documents say. You made a deal with Tad!" Mabel clamped her jaw shut, looking down at the floor. "Why?!"

"I did it for you." She mumbled, wiping away the few tears that had begun to fall. "Everything I do has been for you!"

"That doesn't mean you sacrifice your freedom for me! And now, I've got to deal with this! Tad is supposed to be my right-hand man but now he's a criminal!" Dipper was shouting at the top of his lungs, on the verge of attracting the attention of Stan and perhaps even Ford.

"Well maybe don't go all cryptic on me and then go do things! I was fucking worried about you!" She was frustrated, yelling back as Buddy shrunk back while the two verbally battled.

"YOU SHOULDN'T BE!" They stood there for a moment, silent as they breathed heavily. Their faces were red with anger, the two of them staring at one another with furious rage. "You… shouldn't be."

"But I need to, Dip'n'dot. You're my twin. Of course, I'm going to worry!" Mabel responded, tears streaming down her face.

"But you shouldn't. Mabel, just, please. For the love of all that is unholy, just please stop worrying." Dipper lost his anger, regret plastered on his face.

"Okay. Just don't do nothing dumb, bro-bro." She mumbled, a smile replacing her tears as she wiped them away. They both let loose a laugh, much to Buddy's confusion. Dipper turned to speak to Buddy but the demon seemed to be flicking in and out of existence.

"Oh no. My magic isn't stable anymore! Tad is trying to cover up his tracks. He'll start with getting rid of me. I can't go back. Please!" Buddy was desperate. "Just summon me or something! Anything!" He pulled out a sheet of paper, thrusting it into Mabel's hands. "Help-" And then he was gone, cut off by his body vanishing. They both stood there for a second, panic digging into them both.

Rapidly, Dipper ran out of the room, his feet slamming against the stairs before he ran back down. He returned with a piece of white chalk in his hand. He drew a circle, demon runes replacing symbols and a water drop in the centre.

"Why is-" Mabel began but Dipper seemed to already know what she was going to ask.

"Each demon is different. Some don't even have their own wheels, rather a series of chants and words." Dipper explained, dusting his hands of chalk when he rose up. He began to mutter something under his breath. It was so quiet she couldn't hear it at all yet she could see his lips moving. Mabel looked up to see Stan standing in the doorway, an empty coffee cup in his hand.

"I am not going to ask." He spoke, moving through the kitchen and the circle on the floor glowed. He poured himself a cup of coffee as Buddy re-appeared in a flash of blue light. "Like I said, not going to ask." He mumbled, leaving the room.

"This morning has been extremely interesting, hasn't it?" Dipper joked, both Buddy and Mabel bursting out into laughter. "And now I have to deal with Tad." That sense of content was gone, Dipper glancing at Buddy who still seemed frazzled. "I'll be back later." With that, Dipper vanished in a swirl of blue flames, leaving Mabel alone with the demon he had summoned.

"Is he always like this?" Buddy asked, glancing around the kitchen with slight interest.

"Sometimes. Yeah. So I assume everyone can see you now?"

"Yep!" He responded as he opened the fridge, pulling out a can of Pitt Cola as confusion traced his face. "What's this?"

"That's a can of Pitt Cola." Mabel lifted the can out of Buddy's hand, opening the drink before thrusting it back. "You drink it." Buddy tilted his head, still confused. With a sigh, Mabel picked up her half-full glass of Mabel Juice to demonstrate. "Okay, so it's not exactly like this but you drink it like this." Slowly, she took a sip, the demon watching her with a calculated look.

"Like this?" He spoke, taking a sip exactly the same way Mabel did. She smiled as he successfully took a sip. "Woah! This is nice!"

"Yep. Do they not have soda where you from?" She asked, sitting down in another chair as he did the same.

"No. We have things called ' _Knane'_. It's basically the bladder of an animal that supplies us with water. You suck it out of the entry point. That or the demons who have a strong suit in water manipulation create cubes of water that we can eat. There is wine. But only the riches get it. We don't have... " He paused for a moment as if he was trying to remember the word. "Soda!" Buddy explained, taking a sip from his can with slight glee.

"That's a bit disgusting but that's also kind of interesting. So do demons have different powers or what?" Mabel was genuinely curious about this.

"Well, yeah. It also depends on what kind of demon you are. If you're a physical demon you're at a disadvantage. If you're a mental demon you've got a lot more power. I'd be equal with that traitor, Tad, if I wasn't a physical demon." Buddy's voice grew bitter when mentioning Tad.

"That sounds kinda unfair. What kind of powers does my brother have? He doesn't really tell me a lot of this stuff." Mabel solemnly stated, rubbing her arm absentmindedly.

"Oh. Well, he's technically both. When Bill was around, he was a dream demon, the highest category of mental demons. He could manipulate reality. Those were his powers. I just guess Dip got 'em."

"That makes sense." She muttered, downing the rest of her glass of glitter.

"But it's also a tad bit incorrect." Dipper's voice spoke from the doorway. That was quick, even for him. "Bill's power wasn't just reality manipulation. When he became physical, he gained strength in terms of other powers, fire manipulation mostly. It isn't as strong as reality manipulation. Last I checked, he was still physical when he died." Dipper's voice was strained, full of spite. Mabel only just then noticed the inky mess on Dipper's clothing, Buddy paling considerably.

"Why are you covered in blood, Dipper?" Buddy asked, dropping his empty can to the ground before crushing it under his boot.

"No reason." And then there was a loud knocking on the front door, Stan shouting from the other room.

"Someone get it! I'm watching my show!" Dipper rolled his eyes as Mabel slipped off of her chair. Mabel walked to the front door, smiling as she did so.

"It's probably just my shipment of-" She spoke while opening the door before freezing. Gideon Gleeful stood awkwardly in the doorway.

He hadn't changed much since they had seen him last. He had kept to that baby blue scheme of clothing that made him so recognizable. He still kept that chubby look but he had grown at least a few inches since last summer. His white hair had been cut short, no longer a massive plume of hair. Gideon Gleeful actually looked somewhat normal. "Oh. Oh! Gideon!"

"Uh, Hello Mabel. I just got back from a trip up in Texas to visit my Grandmother and heard you two were back in town. I still want to apologise for last summer, I wasn't the best person then. I know I apologised during... that incident... but I wanted to know if we can still be friends and all?" Gideon gingerly stated, awkwardly shuffling his feet. His accent with still prominent but it wasn't as high pitched as it had been last summer. Mabel honestly could say that Gideon had changed in the year since she had seen him last.

"Oh. It's nothing. Honestly." Mabel knew that Dipper was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, whispering with Buddy about something. "Now isn't a very good-"

"I also wanted to apologise to your brother. I shouldn't have rushed him when we were fighting… Bill…" Gideon trailed off a bit, glancing down at the ground. He didn't seem to notice the visible grimace that Mabel emitted. "But apologising isn't the only reason I'm here."

"Hello, Gideon." Dipper's voice said before behind Mabel's shoulder. Mabel jolted to the side, startled by the appearance of her brother. Gideon became frightened, staring wide-eyed at Dipper's face, in particular, his slitted eye. Her twin frowned in confusion before letting loose a subtle noise. "Ah. The eye. Just ignore it. Anyway, Mabel, Buddy wanted to ask you something quickly. Something about soda." Dipper pointed behind his shoulder towards the kitchen. Mabel nodded with a slight laugh, her eyes darting between Dipper and Gideon for a second before she left.

/(I)\

"You need something, Gleeful?"

"There's been… a demon roaming around. I thought you might know to… get rid of him? He's been bugging me to make a deal with him." Gideon spluttered out, his eyes snapping between the forest and the shack. He leaned closer to Dipper, whispering his next words. "Look, between you and me, the demon keeps asking me if I want to make your sister fall in love with me. I honestly don't."

Dipper's interest seemed to have perked up, the demon fledgling, unknown to Gideon, already know who this demon was. "Mind describing him?"

"Well, he always shows up as a tall man. With a purple suit-"

"I'm gonna stop you there." Dipper abruptly stopped Gideon mid-sentence. " You made a deal with him, didn't you? I assure you, that certain demon will not be disturbing anyone. He's a traitorous criminal who's currently got at least two weeks in the stocks if he's lucky." The teen was smiling wickedly.

"Uh. How did you know that?" Gideon pried, confused, frightened and interested at the same time.

"Oh. I know because I'm the one who punished him. Although, the system of punishment is really medieval but there's been a recent re-write in progress so that's good. Quite a lot of things have changed while you were away, Gideon Gleeful." Dipper extended a hand as if he was meeting Gideon for the first time. "Dipper Pines, King of the Demons."

"Wait-What?" Gideon's mouth streamed word out quicker than Dipper thought possible. "What are you talking about?!"

"Do you really want to know the answers, Gleeful?" Dipper leant against the doorframe, eyeing the pre-teen in front of him. "You know as well as me that dealing with demons is a horrible idea. Is that why you came here? Because you thought I could help?"

"No! That wasn't it, seriously. I didn't know that you-"

"Gideon. I understand. I don't want a reason to hate you. You made a deal and now you're on the list. And it isn't the good kind of list." Dipper held up Tad's list, a slightly upset look on his face. "Just… Just be careful about what you wish for. I'm slightly glad that you showed up because now I don't have to track you down in. You, my sister and another two people were swindled by that traitor."

"He offered me… your sister at first… " Gideon revealed, his eyes glancing down at the wooden patio floor. "But when I said no, he offered me my amulet back."

"I'm going to need that amulet. I'm sorry you got the rug pulled over your eyes." Gideon eyed Dipper for a moment before slowly taking it out of his pocket and passing it over to Dipper. He scrunched his brow in confusion when he saw it in his grasp. This object wasn't real. It was just a simple stone. There was no magic or supernatural power to it at all. "This isn't real." Gideon looked even more confused. Did Gideon really have a reason to lie at the moment? That was the question.

"What?" Gideon snatched it out of his hands, looking back up at Dipper with utter anguish on his face. "He-I'm not lying." He sputtered out, knowing full-well what Dipper was going to say next.

"I know you're not. Look-" He stopped mid-sentence, clutching onto the door frame as sudden pain blossomed in his chest. "Ah." He gasped out, the pain growing. He dropped the amulet to the ground, it clattering to the floor.

"Are you alright?" Gideon asked.

"Pain is hilarious," Dipper whispered, clasping a hand over his mouth a second later. He felt sick. Why did he say that? The pain spiked again, too overwhelming as he stumbled onto the ground. Gideon let loose a yelp, struggling to hold Dipper up.

"Mabel! Help!" The pre-teen shouted, gaining Mabel's attention.

"Dip? Are you okay? What's wrong?" His twin rushed over the moment he coughed up icky black blood into his hand. Both Mabel and Gideon helped him sit on the floor, Stan rushing in as Buddy peeked his head from the kitchen. They eased Dipper against the wall, the teen continuing to cough up blood.

"Is everything...-Holy King!" Buddy yelped, a look of shock and concern on his face. He darted out of the kitchen, kneeling beside Dipper.

"What's going on?" Stan seemed as confused as Gideon.

"I dunno! He just collapsed!" Gideon squealed, waving his arms around wildly in panic.

"How long has the pain been happening, Dip?" Buddy asked, placing a hand against the young demon's forehead before recoiling. Dipper slowly and shakily raised two fingers, soaked in his own blood.

"Two minutes," Gideon stated for him. Dipper couldn't speak, his throat felt like it was being shredded by shards of rough glass. Buddy's concerned look changed instantly to fear.

"O-Okay. You all need to listen to me, no matter how crazy this sounds. I need five candles, some chalk and some table salt." Mabel nodded almost instantly, grabbing Gideon by his arm. Stan grumbled something under his breath, heading into the living room to grab candles as Gideon rushed into the kitchen with Mabel.

"B-Bud…" Dipper managed to say. Buddy raised a hand, politely telling Dipper to stop speaking.

"Look. I need you to fall asleep but don't go to the Nightmare Realm. Your life depends on this. I can't believe I'm the one doing this…" Dipper nodded along slowly. He was already struggling to stay awake as the pain threatened to overwhelm him even more. Mabel and Gideon returned with their supplies, Stan stumbling to juggle five candles in his arms. Buddy instantly set to organizing them all. Slowly, Dipper allowed himself to be embraced by the pain as he slipped into sleep.

/(I)\

Dipper snapped his eyes open to find that he was in his bedroom. The room was completely grayscale except himself. He was confused for a moment, glancing at his clean hands for a second. "Well look who's finally having a normal bit of sleep!" A shrill voice spoke.

"I know you're not real, Bill. I know you're-" Dipper spoke as he turned around. He froze where he stood, his stomach lurching. It wasn't Bill who stood before him. Dipper felt ill seeing the fork marks clearly jabbed into the figure's body, a crooked and demonic grin on his face. And the bloody bastard was wearing that cursed priest outfit. Quite ironic for the demonic creature.

It felt like years until someone spoke again. "What are you doing here?! Y-You don't exist! Y-You're n-not real…" A deep-seated fear emerged in Dipper, the teen beginning to panic. He grasped his head in his hands as paranoia seeped into him. He stared at the ground, his brain racing to figure it out. "You don't exist. He's dead, you can't be here if he's dead." He mumbled, the words becoming faster and faster.

"I'm as real as you are, Dipper!" Bipper spoke. He moved forward, coming closer to Dipper.

"No! You're not real!" He screamed, backing away until Bipper had pinned him against the wall. "You're just-"

"-A part of you! I'll always be here, Dipper!" Bipper interrupted with slight glee, leaning closer. "You can't get rid of me. You'll never be rid of the voices in your head." The shrill voice had shifted, now sounding like Dipper's but mixed with Bill's own. It was frightening.

"You-" Dipper spluttered out.

"Face it, Dipper. Even with all the power you hold, you just aren't strong enough to face your own fears. You struggle with it, don't you?" The demonic representation of his past whispered, inches from Dipper's face.

"I-"

"Do you even bother acknowledging what he did to you? Bill threw you down the stairs before leaving you to clean up his mistakes even after he convinced you that he had changed and loved you! That doesn't seem like love though, does it?" He was just taunting him now.

"Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about!" Dipper hissed, stumbling forward as Bipper moved to his side.

"Oh, I do, Mason Alexander Pines. I know everything about you." Bipper's wicked grin returned. A chill went down Dipper's spine.

"H-How do you know my-" Dipper's sudden burst of anger was quickly quenched by more fear.

"-Real name? Ha! Because I am you!" He stated it as if it was obvious. There was a swift jab as Bipper poked Dipper in the chest. The dark inky pain from before sunk, spiking up again.

"How is that possible?! Dipper shouted.

"I thought you were smarter than that. I am what you fear the most, kid. Every shred of hate, sadness, anger, spite, loathing and fear lives in me. It's a shame that it took you so long to realize." Dipper just stared, looking like a deer in headlights.

"Y-You… -How is that possible?" He whispered, repeating it under his breath for the second time. "I-"

"You're soft. You wanna be King? Do you want to prove to those scum that you belong with them despite their weakness and their poverty? Just accept it, your humanity is slowing you down." Bipper slowly snaked an arm around Dipper's shoulder. "Wouldn't it be great to get rid of it all?"

"No." Dipper's voice was flat and hard. The hand that had been on his shoulder gripped harder after Dipper's response. Bipper's fingers began to claw into his body. It felt draining, Dipper desperately trying to free himself from Bipper's grasp. He began to grow faint, unable to move from where he stood. Bipper was draining him of his power. "Please… no… " He managed to say through his weakening state.

Dipper collapsed onto his knees, unable to stand upright any more. "As I said, it's a shame it took you so long to realize. I've gotta thank you, Mason. You really are gullible enough to come here." His fear was paralysing him, literally.

The teen could barely pay attention anymore, falling onto the ground as his head began to fog up with pain. The only noise he could emit was a single groan as his body just lay there. "Oh shush. I know, I know. It hurts, doesn't it? But imagine what pain our precious family will be in if they actually decide to show up. They're as gullible as you are. You really are too weak to fight your own inner demons. It's ironic really. If only you got rid of your humanity then you wouldn't be in this mess. I hate you, I've wanted you to be dead the moment I came into existence. It will all be over soon, I assure you that much."

* * *

**Wkh gdb ri wkh hqg vkdoo zdlw,**  
**Iru pruh ghdgob wklqjv,**  
**Wkuhdwhq dqg glvuxsw,**  
**Wr iljkw brxu ghprqv,**  
**Brx iljkw brxuvhoi,**  
 **Brx iljkw wkurxjk wkh sdvw,**  
 **Wr jhw wr wkh ixwxuh.**

 


	24. Chapter 24 - Escaping His Reality.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some relationships are more harmful than loving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N  
> Hey... So shit hit the fan and I couldn't write for what, two weeks? Yeah, two weeks roughly. I recently got a new kitten and she's been a handful. And in general, I've been downright busy searching for a job. Anyway, enjoy this late yet slightly long chapter.

Mabel Pines watched as Stan and Buddy lit the candles, the circle made of chalk lines and salt surrounding the sleeping form of Dipper. Carefully, Buddy held onto Journal 3 with one hand, his other on Dipper’s forehead. He motioned for everyone to do the same, Mabel having an overwhelming sense of déjà vu. She glanced at Stan and then Gideon, finding it ironic at what they were doing together.

Buddy began to chant under his breath in Latin, his eyes glowing a mystic blue as the candles around them blew out. A mystical and magically improbable wind blew around them, howling in their ears. The last thing Mabel witness as her eyes rolled to the back of her head was her twin’s sleep yet painful expression and a flash of bright blue light before everything went black.

 /(I)\

She slowly opened her eyes, the light blinding her for a second as she eyed the clearing where they had ended up in. Everything was grayscale expect for them. She heard Stan and Gideon let out a collective groan, Stan mumbling a false swear word. Behind them, half covered by moss, was Bill’s statue, restored to its original version. 

Stumbling, she got up. Mabel clutched onto a tree branch as she steadied herself. She rushed open and helped Gideon to his feet with little effort. Buddy was just staring at the statue with slight attentiveness. “Where are we?” Stan groaned as he moved his stiff bones. Those words seemed to have snapped Buddy out of the trace he was in.

“We’re in Dipper’s mindscape.” The demon responses, motioning to the grayscale environment around them.

“You didn’t explain why we’re here, what is your name again?” Gideon snapped, brushing what seemed to be leaves off of his t-shirt. 

“Name’s Buddy. And we’re here to help Dipper before his own inner demons literally kill him. The thing about demons is that the last stage of their development tends to be the absolute worse.” He said those last lines with a shutter, a grimace on his face. He knelt down, using the dirt floor to provide an example. “And I mean, it can be so damaging it can change a personality. That’s why we’re here. Because Dipper is already a teenager, he can’t process it like younger demons. It’s a weird thing with our species.” Buddy explained, rubbing his eyes as he glanced around the clearing as if he was searching for something. 

“What.” Was all Stan responded with, still utterly confused.

“Demons, when born, go through stages of transformation before they’re even five years of age. There’s the usual blood changing and your organ shifting followed by enhanced canines and sight before it gets worse. Basically, your hate, fear, spite and all those horrid emotions basically murders your empathy and what little shred of humanity that we still possess through evolution.” He continued to explain, the group looking at him with slight fright. “Not exactly the best thing because sometimes it can destroy entire personalities and alter a person so much they’re never the same. And last I checked, no one want’s Dipper to be a homicidal maniac.” The group fell silent, staring at Buddy as they all processed what he said.

“Then… why are we just standing here?” Mabel finally spoke after a minute or two of standing around. Instantly, she whipped her head around to search the clearing for a path. There was a single path leading off to the right, lined by pine trees and woodland. “Welp, there’s only one way to go.” She jutted a finger towards the path, stepping forward as Stan just shrugged and followed. Gideon glanced at Buddy for a moment, grumbling something under his breath before they all followed Mabel down the path.

After exiting the woodland path, Mabel paused at the tree-line, glancing up at the structure in front of her. A desolate and crumbled Mystery Shack stood in front of them, fragments of wood jutting into the grey sky with shards of glass resembling crooked stars. Books of varying sizes floated around, even Journal 3 making an appearance. There was one vain of colour in the entire image, rippling with energy that Mabel could somehow feel. The trail of cosmos shot into the sky, almost frozen in time as it was studded with stars, purple and blue swirls the only shred of colour in an otherwise bleak landscape. “What is that?” Gideon gasped out, staring up at it.

“The Rift…” Buddy breathed out, almost in awe.

“Dipper’s biggest mistake…” Mabel whispered, remembering what he had told her after their return to Piedmont. It felt so long ago. Did he still feel guilty about this? It was a possibility. “This is nothing like your mind, Grunkle Stan.” She said, stating the obvious. 

“Oh.” Was all Stan responded with. Perhaps he was trying to get his head around the suddenness of it all. Even Gideon had fallen silent, examining the terrain as if it was a rare book. 

“Why is the rift the only bit of colour?” She asked, glancing at Buddy. He just shrugged, slowly walking towards the shack. 

“You know, I think I should take the fact that it’s the good old Mystery Shack the kid’s got in his head,” Stan commented with a smile. Buddy slowly shook his head, pointing at one of the signs that sat just outside the shack, pointing towards the outhouse nearby that had another sign on top, both had demon written on it instead of normal English.

“His mind has labelled this ‘ _Reproductive Central’_. Doesn’t seem like a compliment. Is that a human complement?” Buddy innocently. Mabel let loose a snort, bursting out into laughter, Stan following behind her. Stan walked over to Buddy, playfully patting him on the back. 

“Kid, for someone who’s what, sixteen?” Stan began, pausing before Buddy interrupted.

“Two thousand and twenty-one.” 

“For someone who’s two thousand and twenty-one years old, you really don’t understand what humans called… reproduction, do ya, kid?”

“OH. Ehhh…” Buddy screeched, Mabel buckling over in laughter, face red and flushed.

“Idiots. You’re just like these books, interesting until you find out that they aren’t as good as you thought.” Gideon stated, picking up a book that was floating around. He opened it, quickly emitting a grunt of frustration as he tossed the book over his shoulder. “Empty.”

“Well, there’s nowhere else to go but forward,” Stan stated, pointing at the shack door which was scrawled with a pinetree on the centre. Mabel nodded, walking forward and up the steps as they creaked. She gingerly opened the door, glancing in to discover a crystalline scene. She motioned for everyone to follow as she swung the door open. 

Stairs made of crystals rather than wood lead to every section. Dipper’s fears were completely shut off, black and empty. Trees were jutting out of the abyss below, glowing a whimsical blue. The loudest noise came from Dipper’s Memories, thousands of voices echoing forward. “I suppose we search for his memories? Where does fear hide?” Gideon asked, shuffling his feet where he stood.

“His fears would be the right option,” Buddy said, glancing up at the abandoned part of Dipper’s mind.

“Or you could just follow the path his fear has clearly set out.” A shrill voice spoke. All eyes darted upwards to a platform above, a figure partially shrouded in darkness looking down at them. “I mean, fear has clearly locked away the rest of Pinetree’s emotions. So much, it’s affecting him physically. Not fun, in all honesty.” The only thing Mabel could make out were the yellow and slitted eyes, hauntingly familiar. 

“Bill? H-How..?!” Mabel spluttered out, seeing the figure emerging from the shadows, spotting the familiar black suit and top hat. 

“It’s Dipper’s mindscape. What do you think?” He answered, tapping his head as he leant against the banister, cane in hand. She heard Gideon yelp, darting behind Stan in fear. Why, Mabel didn't understand.

“This can’t be real.” Buddy breathed, possibly having a mental overload at the fact Bill was alive in some sense.

“Eh. It’s the Mindscape. Nothing follows the rules in here.” Bill responded with a chuckled, walking down a set of crystal stairs.”I’ve gotta know, why are you here? I know for a fact that Pinetree’s fear has been laying out a very intricate pathway for Shooting Star, releasing me from Dipper’s conscious in the process. And yet I didn’t expect you three.” He eyed Gideon who was still standing behind Stan. “So tell me, why are you here?”

“As if it matters, you demonic prick.” Gideon spat. He was glaring at Bill was utter hatred and fear, Stan standing there awkwardly between the two of them. 

“Nice to see you too, Gleeful!” Bill said, his smile growing despite Gideon’s reaction. Buddy was seemingly obvious to everyone else as he pushed forward.

“I’m so excited to meet you! I mean, everyone in the Nightmare Realm was devastated after your demise.” Buddy muttered out, looking like a child seeing Santa during Christmas. Bill glanced at Mabel before looking back at Buddy.

“Right. Anyway… “ Bill spoke, pausing between his words. “The path starts in his memories. Although, I’d be careful about how much you learn. Sometimes the truth can hurt way more than lies.” Bill pointed towards Dipper’s memories, leaning on Mabel. “Sadly, I cannot follow. Actually, let me rephrase that. I don't want to follow. That is a section I’d rather not go into. Heck, Dipper’s sadness constantly reminds me that I fucked up.”

“You said it was intricate? What does that mean, you fancy triangle?” Stan questioned, unsure how to approach the situation.

“What do you think, Fez?” Bill said, a smirk appearing. Mabel sudden got a spark of an idea.

“It’s not just in his memories is it?! But you can’t tell us that can you?” She answered, Bill giving a curt nod. 

“My tongue is tied. Welp! I’ll be around!” With that Bill, walked away, perhaps to another part of Dipper’s mindscape. Gingerly, Gideon emerged from behind Stan, staring where Bill once stood.

“He isn’t real is he?” The pre-teen questioned. Mabel honestly couldn’t tell at that point. Slowly, she walked towards Dipper’s memories, unsure what she’d encounter.

 /(I)\

“Nope.” She stated, shutting another door. There had been no hint behind what was wrong with Dipper. After combing through their entire childhood, they had finally reached last summer. And then the new door appeared. ‘ _Bill Memories’_ sat beside a second door labelled with a crooked sign, ‘ _Nightmare Realm’_ written in faded ink. Carefully, Mabel motioned for Stan to come, ensuring that both Buddy and Gideon weren’t anywhere nearby. “Grunkle Stan, come with me to explore this one.” She whispered, continuing to survey the hallway. 

“Alright, sweetheart,” Stan responded with a strained smile, watching as she opened the door with the triangle on it. She stepped into the new hallway, silence echoing down the corridor. A phantom-like deer darted from the tree like beams that arched around them, grey grass underfoot. Mabel walked up to the first door, easing it open. The scene before her was almost unnerving to see. The figure of Dipper was standing, upright in front of the massive stone throne made of human statues. It was from Weirdmaggedon. A small rabbit was in Dipper’s grasp, the past pre-teen staring at it with utter anguish. A man lay unconscious nearby, a small bump on his forehead.

_“Bill, I don’t want to.”_ Past Dipper spoke, glancing up to the triangular figure who sat on the throne in question. 

“ _It’s just a hare. Not as if it’s a person like before.”_ Bill’s shrill voice responded. Before? What did he mean by that? Mabel questioned, craning her head just enough that she wasn’t entering the scene.

“ _You want me to kill it?_ ” 

“ _Just like everyone else. Not much of a difference from those meatbags, eh? How about this, if you kill it, you get a glass of water. Agree to kill one of that fleshstick right there without me making you, you get everything else.”_ Bill continued, eye glowing an ominous red. The pre-teen glanced at his stomach before glancing at the man who was still unresponsive. 

“ _O-_ ” The scene was cut off as Stan slammed the door closed, pale-faced as silence fell between them. Mabel had no clue what Dipper experienced in that time. 

“H-He…” She managed to sputter out, still progressing the information. She instantly moved to the next door, jerking it open. Mabel instantly knew it was from Weirdmaggdeon again, the black bricks in the background an instant giveaway. Although, this was in an ordinary looking room, a bed pressed against one wall with furniture taking up most of the room. Past Dipper was sitting on a couch, hugging his legs. Bill stood over, seemingly frustrated over something.

“ _Dipper Pines. Get over yourself!”_ Bill shouted. He seemed downright annoyed, fed up perhaps. Mabel didn’t know why.

“ _B-But what about Mabel? Aren’t I b-betraying her by being here? Sh-he wouldn’t have left me alone…_ ” Her brother sobbed out. Instantly, Mabel tried to go in, the need to comfort her brother overwhelming her but before she could Stan grabbed onto her shoulder. 

“Don’t, kid,” He spoke, his voice filled with sternness. Mabel was about to protest until she heard what Bill spoke next. 

“ _You know what your sister was going to do before you planned to leave Gravity Falls? Hmm? She was planning on begging you to leave everything behind and join her! She was going to beg you to leave me behind, Pinetree!!_ ” Mabel froze, unable to tear her eyes from the scene. She roughly grabbed onto the door, slamming it closed before Stan could stop her. She slumped against the door, letting loose a small sob as she clutched her knees. 

“Mabel?” Stan’s voice echoed beside her, the older man sitting down. “Hey. It’s alright, sweetie.” 

“No, it’s not, Grunkle Stan. I flat out ignored him when we returned to Piedmont. I d-didn’t listen to him. At night, he was crying even after he said he was over it all. And I ignored the way he reacted. Oh God, what about that time I cut myself badly while sewing? D-Did he panic? I couldn’t tell. Grunkle Stan, I couldn’t tell.” She sobbed out, wiping the tears from her eyes. “It’s all my fault! It’s all my fault.”

“It is not your fault. No matter how much you blame yourself for what happened, it is not your fault, pumpkin. I mean, I know you blame yourself for it. That fact that you’re upset by this is enough. Blaming yourself isn’t that healthy. Trust me, I blamed myself for thirty years over Sixer and the portal. What I’m trying to say is, it’s alright to accept it’s not your fault.” Stan explained, kneeling down before grabbing the teenager into a hug. 

“Thanks, Grunkle Stan…” She mumbled, a faint smile.

“No problem. How about after this we all go fishing or something?” Mabel’s smile grew wider, wiping her tears away.

“You’ll teach me how to tie a knot? And wear funny hats that you made?” She chuckled.

“Of course.”

Mabel slowly rose to her feet, glancing down the corridor towards the single door at the end. It stood out due to the fact some kind of moss grew on the door, the phantom-like deer lurking nearby. “What about that door?” She muttered, staring at it. 

“Only if you want to, kiddo,” Stan stated, dumping his hands into his suit pockets. His fez was slightly lopsided yet it didn’t faze the older man. Gingerly, Mabel opened the door. It wasn’t a memory, rather an extremely long hallway, multiple routes branching off of others. Just from that minuscule glance, it already looked like a maze. They had a long way ahead of them.

* * *

**L'p vruub.**  
**Lw'v pb idxow.**  
 **L zdv wkh dexvlyh rqh.**  
 **L zlvk L frxog whoo brx wkh wuxwk.**

 


	25. What The Future Holds.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill has a tantrum.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Apologies for not updating in a while. I've been busy. Enjoy!

He jerked his head upwards, staring with vivid hatred blazing in his eyes. The past image of Dipper gritted his teeth against the strain as he jerked himself up from his comfortable spot on the couch. Mabel couldn’t tear her eyes away from the memory. An argument lost to time. Lost in both their memories yet it played out before the Pines that watched through the ratty old door as if it happened yesterday. It was coarse against her fingertips as she gripped onto the wood. 

 

There was a loud smash as an object the past version of Mabel had been holding was plunged to the tiled floor of their kitchen, Dipper’s hand hovering above where it was seconds before. The cup lay in ruin by their feet, water seeping into the cracks of the titles below as thick shards of glass was highlighted by the sunlight glowing through the window.

 

“ _Of course you’d do that!_ ” Past Dipper screamed, tears streaming down both of their faces. “ _Of course you’d be the one to fucking tell them!_ ” 

 

“ _I didn’t tell the news! Emma Smith told her mom!”_ The teenager snapped back, equally as angry.

 

“ _You know Emma’s mom works for the news network! What did you think would happen-_ ” Mabel refused to watch it anymore, slamming the door closed with a dejected sigh. She turned to see if Stan was around. 

 

He was not.

 

Wandering forward, Mabel opened the next door with a slump, each horrible memory having slowly removed her joyous zeal. She was frustrated. Stan appeared from around the corner, equally as disgruntled. “Have you found anything, sweetheart?” Stan asked, edging closer to the teenager. 

 

“Not-” And then she spotted him. The yellow figure at the end of the corridor fiddled with something in his hand. Slowly, she eased the door closed before she walked over towards him, angry, Stan following swiftly behind.

 

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Mabel snapped. She knew things. She knew what he had done. Bill looked startled, even frightened. 

 

“Wha-what?!” Bill spluttered out, dropping the rubix cube he had been messing around with to the ground as Stan lifted him up. “Why-”

 

“I know what you did Cipher. You horrible bastard!” Stan shouted, anger flaring. Mabel solemnly watched, betrayal littering her face. 

 

“You-you made Dipper suffer through all those horrible things, you monster. How dare you say you love him!” She sobbed, tears already rolling down her cheeks.

 

“Fez, Shooting-Ah!” He yelped when Stan pressed against his throat, him spluttering out words. “Stop it! I know- Ah! Please. Just stop! I’ll do-ah-anything!” 

 

“What’s wrong with Dipper?!” Mabel questioned, the former demon suddenly extremely confused. It flickered across his face as his brows became scrunched.

 

“What do you-ah-mean?” Bill struggled to say, fighting against Stan’s grip.

 

“She said, ya crazy nacho, what’s wrong with the kid?” Stan repeated gruffly, his anger slowly decreasing.

 

“There’s nothing wrong with him. At least-ah-nothing recently! In all honesty, I haven’t even seen his fear’s current form is, it changes shape-Ah!”

 

“What’s going on?” A voice from down the corridor echoed, a pair of figures appearing at the end of it. Gideon walked uncomfortably with Buddy beside him, glaring at the starry eyed demon. 

 

“Haha-Ah!” Bill let out a laugh, spotting Gideon before Stan applied more pressure. He continued to fight under Stan’s grasp. “Dammit Fez! Let me go!”

 

“Let him go, Stanley. I think he’s willing to talk.” Buddy nodded, almost as if he knew what was going on. Stan dropped Bill to the ground, the former dream demon landing with a loud _thump_. He let loose a groan, rubbing his neck as he glared at the people surrounding him. 

 

“Answers, Cipher.” Gideon growled. Bill let out a weak chuckle. 

 

“Fine. Ask away.” Bill waved a hand around as he sat on the ground. 

 

“What’s wrong with Dipper?” Mabel repeated, the question arising a third time. “And how are you still alive?”

 

“Firstly, I honestly don’t have a clue. Kid’s mind has been fractured even before… “ Bill trailed off, a few tears dripping down his check. “I don’t know how I’m alive.” He whispered, barely audible. Mabel recoiled slightly, confused as to why Bill was suddenly showing an emotion such as sadness. Even Stan and Gideon were confused, face’s scruntched with thought.

 

“Bill, are you alright?” She asked, clutching her arms against her chest.

 

“I’m as fine as I can be. This feels ironic,” Bill rose a hand towards his nose, before letting loose a shout. “Shit.” Black blood was seeping from the figment’s nose, Mabel instantly pulling out a handkerchief and stuffing it against the demon’s face, the star pattern being drowned by inky blood. “Oh shit.”

 

“Why is he saying that?” Mabel overheard Gideon whispering to Stan, the older man just giving a shrug. 

 

“Bill-” Mabel began but was cut off when said person stumbled up. 

 

“It’s coming. Shit.” Suddenly, a shadow loomed around the corner, heeled shoes clicking against the polished wooden floor. A chill ran Mabel’s spine as she gripped onto her now stained handkerchief.   

 

“We'll meet again. Don't know where, don't know when. Oh, I know we'll meet again some sunny day!~” A voice echoed down the hallway, strangely sounding like Dipper’s yet it sounded nothing like him. Bill let out another weak laugh.

 

“Like I said, ironic.” Bill wiped away more blood, his nose seemingly spilling the liquid forward even more. 

 

“What a wonderful surprise!” The looming figure spoke. “I thought it would've taken you a while to get here.” Mabel knew those shoes, that suit, that crooked face.

 

“Bipper!” She hissed, confusing not only Buddy but Gideon and Stan in the progress. “Of course you’re his fear.” Guilt flicked over Bill’s face when he saw the figure. 

 

“Give us Dipper!” Buddy shouted, clearly not disturbed by the figure as he marched forward. 

 

“Oh. I’d rather not. I’d rather do this.” With a sickening and crooked grin, Bipper snapped his fingers. They were plunged into darkness, the ground seemingly vanishing as dropped through the floor, tumbling into the abyss, screaming. 

 /(I)\

When Mabel stirred awake, she let loose a groan as she rolled onto her side. Creaking her eyes open she was greeted by the sight of Bill, nursing his no longer bleeding nose with her stained handkerchief. How he had gotten it before the fall, she didn’t know. “Where are we?” She weakly groaned, raising her body as she felt her bones ache. Bill jerked around, seemingly startled.

 

“W-We’re in one of Pinetree’s nightmares or one of his prophecies. I haven’t bothered checking which type yet. Shooting Star-” Bill began to explain yet Mabel raised a hand, indicating for him to shut up for a moment.

 

“I saw what you did, Bill.” She responded bluntly, shifting her weight so she could glance around. They were in a field, blurred figures darting almost in slow motion around them. It looked like a battlefield, grey and bleak. A few blurred figures lay on the ground, crimson spilling under it. She saw smoke billowing into the sky, the tattered remains of a flag she had made long ago was hanging in the sky.

 

“I know. I was watching you...” Bill’s voice trailed off, staring at the still image around them. “I want to apologise. I was,” He let loose a sigh. “wrong.”

 

“It was more abusive than wrong.” She mumbled under her breath, glaring back at him. “You destroyed his mental health. What the fuck is wrong with you?” She spat, frustrated. He flinched at her tone, startled. Bill bowed his head in guilt.

 

“You weren’t any better.” He responded bluntly before his tone softened and he spoke again. “I-I… want to fix this. When you finally do leave, just tell him I’m so so sorry. He’s read my letters, I know that much. Kid’s too good for me. Dammit Mabel, why does your brother still love me even after everything!?” Mabel’s eyes grew wide in realization over something.

 

“You didn’t call me Shooting Star. You called me Mabel.” She sputtered  
out, anger momentarily forgotten.

 

“Huh? Oh, I guess I did.” He just shrugged it off as if it didn’t matter but Mabel could tell he was becoming emotional underneath his facade. Mabel watched as the demon’s body began to shake, salty liquid spilling from the demon’s eyes. “Stupid… meatsack.” He sobbed out, seemingly unaware why he was crying.

 

“Bill? You alright?” She asked, edging her way towards where he sat. 

 

“Would you believe me if I said I was alright?” He responded sheepishly, his smile falling. “I’m a shit demon.”

 

“I mean, you’re not wrong.” Mabel was past sugarcoating it for Bill.

 

“Wow. Thanks for sugarcoating it.” A slight smirk appeared on his human face before it fell. “Non-existent Gods, I fucked up. I never thought about how he’d feel did I? Tell me, Mabel, can I ever get Dipper to forgive me?”

 

“Bill.” Mabel had a blank expression on her face as she continued as blunt as she could be. “He mourned you for months. He was so upset when you left. I don’t think you could ever change how he feels about you but I think you could at least apologize. I couldn’t even get him to wear one of my sweaters for months! Did I mention he almost cried every time we had Trigonometry?” She smiled and he smiled back. Slowly, he rose from his spot, wiping the tears away as he traced a hand across her head until he was ruffling it.  

 

“Back to business, Shooting Star.” The former dream demon tapped the image, the wall rippling like water. “Hmmm.” Bill muttered, tracing a hand across the wall as he examined their surroundings. “Oh non-existent Gods. Mason’s got some skill with this.” She heard Bill shout as she finally got up, stretching her arms a bit.

 

“What are you talking about?” She questioned. 

 

“This is a prophecy.”

 /(I)\

“Why is this so confusing?!” Gideon screamed, kicking his foot against the still image before him. Buddy stood silently in the centre, glancing around their surroundings. Stan was equally as quiet, almost frightened by the picture. The figure Gideon had slammed himself just rippled. The pre-teen just slumped down on his back as he gave up on achieving escapism.

 

The scene around them was utter chaos, a moment frozen in time. Flames licked the obsidian streets, blue fire sparking around the brightly coloured stalls. Buddy was crying, shaking where he stood. Stan moved over, clutching the young man’s shoulder before speaking. 

 

“Are you alright, kid?” Stan asked, mildly concerned for this young man he had only just met but heard so much about. Buddy jolted to the side, jerking his hand towards his eyes as he wiped the tears away. 

 

“Yep! Just peachy!” Buddy spluttered out, still rapidly shaking.

 

“Mind telling me what this place is?” Stan motioning to the burning scene before them, a place he had never seen crumbling before him and creatures he had never known fleeing from the smoking area. Buddy didn’t speak, rather he sort of just stared off into the distance. 

 

“This is a memory.” Gideon’s voice came from the silence, a finger pointing towards one of the frozen figures. The young child was clutching onto a small object, the flames seemingly avoiding her completely, a single beam of wood hovering above her like an inevitable doom. A figure was seen rushing towards the child, another demon watching as the first ran. There was fear on all their faces, the one who was watching seemingly having shock covering his face. The past image of Bill looked regretful as he saw the child in a dangerous situation.

 

Stan turned to Buddy, realization coating his face before he scrunched his eyebrows in sadness before, finally, anger flashed across his facial features.

 /(I)\

Mabel followed swiftly after Bill, clutching her stained square of fabric as she scrambled to follow the rapidly moving demon. “Are we almost-Eep!” She slammed into him as he halted, the teenager tripping forward a little before he caught her. 

 

“Be careful. Geez.” Bill snapped, his joyful mood having faded the moment they left that bubble of the future. Of course Bill knew his way around a mind. It made sense. He figured out where that lever was and where the exit was after all.. She awkwardly shuffled on her feet, Bill rolling his eyes as they continued down the corridor. 

 

He halted again, this time, Mabel pausing before she could slam into him. The former dream demon traced a hand across the wooden wall, tapping a few spots before it let loose a grumble. The wall suddenly shifted, dust flying around the mindscape as it revealed a dark passageway. Bill held out a hand, motioning for her to take it.

 

Slowly, she gripped it, Bill dragging her into the darkness. The tunnel felt cramped as if it wasn’t meant to be used. It was slightly damp as well, unknown moisture coating her sides as they squeezed their way through. There was a light at the end of the tunnel, the blinding glow blinding her momentarily as she stepped out. 

 

“Ah!” Bill squealled. In a blur of colours, Bill was tackled to the ground, jerking Mabel with him as he refused to let go of her hand. She tumbled on her side as she heard shouting.

 

“Fuck you, you bastard!” She heard Buddy scream as her head swam. She sensed another person nearby as Bill finally let go of her hand. Gideon helped her up, the pre-teen looking slightly concerned. She turned her head to witness Buddy on top of Bill, an attempt to turn Bill in pulp almost succeeding before Stan jumped into the fray and physically tore them apart. 

 

“Enough!” Stan growled, rubbing his knuckles. A bruise was already forming on Bill’s check, another under his eye, a cut had appeared on Bill’s lip, blood seeping from his mouth where a few teeth had been struck. 

 

Buddy wasn’t that great either, a small cut had formed on his lip, a few scratches across his face as well as a deep bite mark in his right forearm. “What the hell is wrong with you two?” Stan shouted like a father reprimanding two children as he waved his hand threateningly.

 

“He fucking murdered my sister!” Buddy spat, guilt flicking on Bill’s face as the other demon spoke. Buddy motioned to the scene around them, the former dream demon finally noticing what it was about.

 

“What? Is this what that’s about?! That was two hundred years ago! I didn’t start the fucking fire!” With that,  Bill angrily raised his fist before he froze. A loud laugh echoed above them, a mix between Dipper’s ordinary laugh and Bill’s hightoned shrill. The scene around them evaporated completely, leaving the room completely black except for the stone texture of the ground. A sense of deja vu flooded both Mabel and Bill as they stared at each other, wide-eyed. 

 

“Not this again.” Mabel whispered, staring up at the sky as a figure appeared. This time is wasn’t Bill. It was Bipper. The figure of the boy sat on a wooden chair, hovering high in the pitch black sky as he smirked down at the people below him. He placed a piece of popcorn in his mouth before speaking.

 

“Oh this is amusing. Extremely amusing. Tell me,” Bipper was smile, his tone of voice growing darker. “ **Do you want to save** **_him_ ** **?** ”

 

Mabel glanced at the other four people beside her, concern growing in her eyes. Bill was ridden with even more guilt. The old dream demon turning around as he clutched a hand against his mouth. Stan was holding a fist forward, Buddy’s eyes sparkling with untold power. “Why wouldn’t we want to save him?” She whispered, dark eyes staring upwards. 

 

“Why wouldn’t you? Do you want me to give you a reason. Or should I point it out for you?” Bipper seemed even more amused by her question, clapping his hands together as the ground spun. “Let’s start with Stanley. You’re the one who repeatedly tried to make Dipper into a man.” Images flicked around the room, thousands of them. Of Stan and Dipper, Gideon and Dipper, Buddy and Dipper spinning round and round. Each horrible image flashed before them. One after the other. “And let’s not forget to mention how you reacted when Mabel became the traitor!” Guilt. That was what fear was trying to prove. “Oh and Gideon, how did that plan with trying to get Dipper out of the picture, huh? Not to mention you, Buddy, you literary convinced him to murder a bunch of corrupt demons.”  

 

“Shut up.” Mabel gritted her teeth, her face growing red.

 

“Oh I’m just starting. And you, Mabel Pines, you’re the one who told the world. You just had to tell someone about your summer. That’s what got everyone in trouble. Including your brother.” Mabel paled, hands growing clammy as everyone stared at her.

 

“You-” Stan began, looking shocked. 

 

“Oh, don’t be so surprised, Stanley. She’s not even the worst of the bunch. I’m pretty sure, he’s the worst.” A cruel finger was pointed towards Bill, the demon already a sobbing mess. His eyes were puffy, guilt riddling the once powerful demon’s eye. Mabel had never seen him like this, it was shocking in itself. “You are a paranoid, sick, insane person. You only cared about yourself and-” Bipper paused when Bill rose to his feet, wiping stray tears away with a sniffle. 

 

“You know what? You’re absolutely right. I was paranoid, insane and I did only care for myself. But ya know what? I’m not like that anymore.” Bill stated. 

 

“Yeah! Bill’s been nothing but useful since we got here!” Mabel shouted back, stamping a foot and standing beside Bill.

 

“He did do-” Gideon tried to say but was cut off.

 

“SHUT UP!” Bipper screamed. Something had changed. The once spiteful emotion seemed to be warping, fighting against itself. “You-you-you can’t get away with this.” Bipper spluttered out, landing on the ground as he angrily jabbed a finger into Bill’s chest.

 

“I find it kind of funny the form you took, Fear. You took the one form I don’t feel guilty about. After all, I did apologize a long time ago.” The figure of Bipper suddenly seemed startled, almost as if he hadn’t expected that response. 

 

“You’ll-” Bill moved forward, punching the creature in the face mid-sentence. The face turned into clay, startling Mabel as she recoiled.

 

“Ah! Not clay!” She yelped, darting behind Stan. Bill just continued to pound against the figure, spitting out words as he did so. Small flames licked his fingers, burning into the clay.

 

“YOU. DON’T. SCARE. ME! **I’LL. MAKE. YOU. REGRET. EVER. MAKING. DIPPER. FEEL. LIKE.** **_SHIT_ ** **!** ” He slammed his fist down until it was completely mush, the gargling creature a snickering mess.

 

“Youuu… willll… regetttt… thisssssss!” It gargled before simply vanishing. Just like that, it was over. A door appeared before them, glowing a pale white as Bill let out a deep breath. 

 

“You uh… okay?” Stan asked, glancing at the smouldering dream demon. 

 

“Just perfect.” With that Bill cleaned his hands, stepping forward and towards the doorway. He motioned for people to follow him, Mabel slowly edging her way out from behind Stan as they entered the white expanse. 

* * *

 **Uxqqlqj iurp brxu sdvw,**  
**Lvq'w wkh fruuhfw zdb,**  
**Brx qhhg wr idfh wkhp,**  
**Ru brx zrq'w ilqg shdfh.**

 


	26. Reunion.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apologies are sometimes difficult.

“Are you sure you're okay?" Mabel asked, looking at the steaming Bill. Gideon and Buddy stood a bit back, both of them either angry or fearful of Bill. Mabel placed a hand on the demon's shoulder

He instantly pushed it off. "I'm _fine!_ " Bill hissed, eyes warily glancing around the white hallway where they stood."You insufferable human beings and worrying about others. It annoys me to no end, you know that right?"

"Geez. Hit your head between murdering fear and walking through here?" Gideon chuckled, earning a glare from Bill.

"I will end you Gleeful, don't doubt me on that one." The former dream demon growled, staring at Gideon.

"Can you both stop that?" Stan interrupted, getting between them. The two just stared at each other for another second before Bill growled and turned away. He continued down the hall, Mabel in tow as the pair encountered a door.

The pale white birch was different from the other doors, a large amount of tearing and wear visible on the door. There was an eye hole and a faded sign that Mabel could barely read.' _Subconscious'_ was written in pale blue ink, Bill looking mildly surprised at the text. He peered through the hole for a moment as the others caught up.

"What's behind the door?" Stan asked, Mabel responding with a shrug. Gingerly, Bill opened the door. They entered the room as she let loose a gasp.

"What the hell-" She was cut off when Bill covered her mouth. He pointed a finger towards the sleeping figure in the corner. Mabel took a moment to glance around the dimly lit room.

It was just like their attic bedroom, everything from the mould spots on the ceiling to the painting on the wall. Although, it was completely greyscale, monotone colours painting the room. Another key difference was that her side of the room didn't exist, rather it was just a series of post-it notes, papers, photographs, notes and string pinned together on the wall. The sleeping form of her twin shifted, letting lose a small groan as he groggily rose from the bed. He turned to look at them, yelping in surprise.

"What? How'd-What?!" Dipper spluttered out, startled. He looked at them, both chestnut brown eyes staring slightly in confusion at the group. Mabel ran forward, grabbing her twin into a tumbling hug. "What are you all doing in here?"

"We're here to help!" Stan declared, elbowing Bill who stumbled to the ground. Mabel looked up at her brother, the teenager looking down at his twin with an uneasy look. His face was contorted in confusion and concern before realization dawned on him.

"Woah, woah. You didn't kill Fear, didn't you?" He almost shoved her off, tumbling backwards.

"Uhhh… Maybe?" Bill mumbled, awkwardly shrugging. Gideon peaked through the doorway and sheepishly waved.

"And Gideon is here too. Anyone else?" Dipper didn't seem amused by that. Buddy appeared in the doorway next, equally as sheepish as he gave a simple salute. Mabel pulled herself off of Dipper, sitting down on the bed as she watched Dipper. "God. Of all the-wait. Why are you here?"

"To beat your fear which Bill seems to have already done." Buddy instantly pointed a finger at Bill, the former dream demon tapping his fingers together. Dipper didn't seem fazed, rather he just let loose a sigh.

"Of course you did. I really think you should go before I wake up. I doubt I'll remember this." Dipper spoke, running a hand through his hair gently while looking at the rag-tag group of people. He snapped his fingers, a tear appearing in the room. Buddy walked towards it, giving another salute before vanishing.

"See ya in the real world, kid." Stan chuckled before following after Buddy. Gideon gave a wave as he stepped towards it and vanishing. That left Mabel alone with Bill and Dipper. She glanced at Bill solemnly before slowly edging her way towards the portal.

"You watch what you do, Cipher." She spoke before stepping through.

/(I)\

"So, you've finally decided to show your face here." Dipper muttered, looking at the figure of Bill who stared at the portal.

"They would of been aimless without me. Pinetree, look-" Bill turned on his heels, looking at Dipper.

"I don't want to hear it, Bill." He interrupted him, glancing down at his arm with slight malice.

"Just hear me out, Mason." The teenager looked at the ground before nodding. He looked at Bill with utter suspicion as the former dream demon spoke. "I was wrong. I-I fucked up, okay? I just want you to forgive me."

"I have forgiven you, Bill. I-I just can't handle this bullshit you've loaded onto me." Dipper spoke back, bursting into tears as he glared at the other teenager in front of him.

"I'm so sorry, Pinetree. It's my fault. Just let me fix it." Bill was holding out his hand, the limb empty of flames. It was just an ordinary hand.

"I must be stupid." Dipper chuckled, grabbing hold of it. Bill smiled fondly back at Dipper. Blue flames burst between them, bathing them in a glow.

An unspoken deal between the two old lovers sparked to life. It didn't need to be muttered. Dipper let loose a small sigh, collapsing onto the bed after a moment. "I know what's coming, Bill. And it isn't good for anyone." He felt the bed shifting as Bill lowered himself down beside the teenager.

"Oh hush. You worry too much, Mason."

/(I)\

Mabel jerked her eyes open, rolling to her side as she stumbled up. She glanced around at their dim surroundings, the late afternoon light streaming inside. The candles were laying abandoned on the ground, flames extinguished. She heard the moans and groans of the others around her as they all stirred awake. She looked up to see a figure leaning in the kitchen doorway. Stanford Pines stood there, sipping his coffee as he looked down at the scene below him. "So, what happened?" His tone was almost a joke.

"Ugh. My head hurts." She moaned, stiffly rising to her feet. Slowly, everyone else got up from the floor, Ford just watching with slight amusement. Stan glanced at his twin, raising an eyebrow.

"How long have you been standing there?" The old conman grumbled, stretching his stiff bones.

"Approximately an hour." He responded with another sip of his coffee, glancing at the group. Mabel turned around to see that Dipper was still asleep, although this time, his breathing was normal and he wasn't stirring. He was peacefully sleeping.

That changed, though, a second later when he cracked his eyes open slowly. He let loose a mumble, scrunching his nose as he finally woke up. "Augh… what the hell happened?" He muttered, rubbing his forehead as he glanced up at the group around him.

"Sleeping Beauty finally decides to wake up, eh?" Stan chuckled, assisting Dipper to his feet, Mabel embracing her twin in a hug the moment later.

"Oh Kings, you're okay." Buddy's voice jutted into the conversation. After a few minutes, Dipper finally noticed the awkward figure of Gideon, the pre-teen slowly edging his way to the door. He seemed like he didn't belong.

"Hey Gideon, where are you going?" He called out to the younger boy, Gideon glancing back, startled.

"I just thought-" He sputtered out. Dipper instantly closed the distance between them, leaning closer as he whispered something in reply. Mabel witnessed Dipper whispering something into Gideon's ear, the pre-teen suddenly paling.

With that, he patted Gideon on the back and walked back to the rest of his family. "Uhhhh. Goodbye, Pines Family." Gideon stated before leaving the shack. Buddy looked down at his ratty watch, biting his lip as the door clicked closed. He seemed a bit sad, almost lonely as he glanced upwards at Dipper.

"I should go. There'll be hell to pay back in the Nightmare Realm if I don't get back. Garrison was cooking tonight. That's gonna be a travesty." Buddy laughed out his words, playfully nudging Dipper in the side before giving a salute. "Nice meeting ya, Pines." With that, he walked out the door, vanishing mid-way.

Mabel watched him go, biting her lip slightly as she glanced up at her grunkles. She looked back at her brother, his brown eyes wide. _Wait a second._ She rapidly thought, looking a Dipper once more. A key detail had changed about him. "Oh my god! Dipper your eye!" She pointed out, jabbing a finger towards his normally slitted eye. It had returned to normal except there was an undertone of gold lingering it in now.

"Huh?"

"It's back to normal." She breathed.

"Oh. Interesting." was all he mumbled, glancing down at his hands for a moment as if he was trying to remember something.

/(I)\

"Can we have pancakes for dinner?" She mentioned with a smile.

"Sure thing, kiddo. Sixer, it's your turn to cook." Stan looked at his brother, smiling.

"Oh god. He cooks worse than you, Grunkle Stan." Dipper feigned complaint, smirking as he glanced at the slightly distraught Ford.

"Hey! It's better than your cooking, young man." The older man looked down at Dipper with fondness in his eyes, gingerly smiling as Mabel ran into the kitchen with Stan in tow. "So, what happened?" Dipper glanced down at his feet, awkwardly shuffling them.

"I don't quite know, Grunkle Ford. I remember Buddy panicking and then… " Dipper lost his focus, brow scrunched as he thought about something. "Bill." He muttered faintly. The name was barely audible to Stanford, the older man's stare growing more concerning. _He was there. In my mind. So were Stan, Mabel, Gideon and Buddy. Oh God, they-_ His thoughts were derailed when another provoking thought entered his brain.

' _Non-existent Gods, you think about things too much, Pinetree.'_

It sent a shiver down his spine. It sounded almost like Bill was talking to him. In a sense, he was. Glancing back up at Stanford, Dipper said one thing as a few tears rolled down his cheeks.

"He said sorry."

* * *

**L'p vruub.**

 


	27. Stay, I Pray You.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Run.

Mabel tied her hair into a ponytail, sorting through the boxes that were pressed against the wall. As she moved to another box, a roll of paper fell and tumbled to the side. She picked it up, unrolling it as she read the information on the sheet. The teenager bit her lip, reading it in sheer alarm. "What…?"

She glanced at the closed attic door, paranoia coursing through her. She folded the sheet of paper, stuffing it into her pocket as she resumed her cleaning.

/(I)\

"So, candle dipping is at twelve, donkey rides at one, historical reenactment at two and fireworks at five. What do you guys want to do?" Pacifica asked as Mabel and Dipper followed in hot pursuit. All around them, the town resonated an old-fashioned vibe. It was like pioneer times had resurfaced and taken over the town for a single day. Dipper noted that Ford was even walking nearby, stopping at a soap stall. He shuffled his feet, adjusting the strap of his backpack slightly.

"Uh.. I dunno. I could do with some old-timey butterscotch." Mabel mumbled, elbowing Dipper in the side as he laughed in response. It was ironic really. A year ago they had been pinning for a reason to drag Pacifica Northwest down but now it was different.

"Hmm. That sounds nice, Mabes." He mumbled in reply, not exactly paying attention. He fiddled with his vest zip, biting his lip as he impatiently glanced around.

Mabel noticed that he was looking or expecting something to happen. The hairs on the back of Dipper's neck flew up, sparking something as he jerked his head towards Mabel.

There was a sudden rumble and a shout as Dipper grabbed his sister, pulling her out of the path of a loose wagon wheel as it slammed into the wall nearby, denting the building."Dear god! Are you alright?" Pacifica asked, darting over to help them up. Dipper let loose a small grunt, lifting Mabel off of his chest as parts of his backpack dug into his shoulder blade.

"Just peachy." He moaned, feeling the weight of his twin vanish.

"That was-uh-unexpected." Mabel breathed out, brushing the dust off of her sweater. Dipper rose to his feet, pulling a piece of fluff out of his hair. He picked up the backpack, unzipped it as he glanced inside. He felt a chill run down his spine. "Dipper? Is something wron-" She began to ask, glancing at the bag before she froze. Inside the backpack was a cosmic mess, swirling space mass glowing in the bag. A cracked orb held the celestial content, a spider web of lines showing how close it was to breaking.

"Mabel, it's not what-" Dipper instantly began to protest, jerking his bag back towards himself.

"You bastard. You selfish bastard." He heard her mumble, tears instantly streaming down her face. Neither of them cared at that point if they made a scene.

"I'm selfish? _I'M_ selfish?! Are you fucking kidding me?! You got me into half my messes last year! Not to mention it's your fault his fucking dead." He snapped, Pacifica instantly darting in to intervene.

"Hey! What's going on?!" Pacifica shouted, glancing warily at the twins as a crowd began to form, interested in this sudden fight.

Mabel lunged forward, slapping him across the face. Dipper pulled a hand up to his cheek, blazing hot pain radiating from it. His eyes flared a dangerous yellow as his gritted his teeth.

"Dipper has a rift!" Mabel practically screamed, jerking a finger at him. Dipper wasn't surprised. Rather, a look of amusement was on his face as he smirked. Ford tore his way through the crowd, a look of complete fear on the older man's face.

"Dipper, is this true?" He asked, the crowd around them muttering in confusion. Dipper raised an eyebrow, his smirk having gone. His smile fell and he suddenly looked terrified. He darted into the woods before anyone could stop him, leaving behind a confused crowd.

/(I)\

"Why, why, why, why?!" He screamed, slamming a fist against the tree, feeling the tingling sensation of pain coursing through it. "I should of listened." With that, Dipper slumped his shoulder, sliding against the tree as he let loose a sob. So much had happened. Why was he still going through with this? Why was he following Bill's plan B even after everything the demon had done to him.

"God, why do I still miss you even after you supplied me with so much trauma?" He mumbled, glancing up at the darkening sky. There were loud bangs as fireworks were lit, occasionally showering him in rainbow lights. Dipper pulled out the almost smashed rift, the new one bringing back memories of the old one. He ran a finger across it, biting his lip. "Last time, you tricked me. Are you tricking me again? Is this what you want me to do or is it what I want to do? I wish you were here to tell me I was just being ridiculous. That's what you'd say, right?" He looked at the statue of Bill, somehow recently restored to its former glory. Magic worked in strange ways.

Dipper turned the rift around in his hand. No one was here to stop him. No one knew where he was. He could smash it and no one would be the wiser.

He felt conflicted.

On one hand, he could free an entire dying civilization. He knew that the Nightmare Realm was collapsing in on itself since Bill had perished and if it collapsed, it would kill the thousand demons inside. Numbers of stillborn births had increased, amounting to one child every three months. Plus with infighting, many demons were killing their own in either revenge or cold blood.

But on the other hand, he knew there would be war if he smashed it. Humans have never taken things lightly in terms of foreign invasion.

While he was stuck in thought, the rift was slowly slipping out of his finger. Dipper glanced down, juggling the positives and negatives in his mind. He knew his choice would lead to bad consequences either way. He just had to maintain the peace.

The Demon King rose to his feet, looking up at the fading fireworks once more before throwing the rift against the forest floor, glass shattering underneath as blue and purple cosmos flew into the air.

He could feel the power.

* * *

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	28. In A Crowd of Thousands.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end is sometimes regretful.

There was utter pandemonium as Mabel stared at the sky, a wind blowing her hair sideways. A was tear forming in the sky. “Oh shit! NOT AGAIN!” Someone in the crowd screamed, hundreds of screams echoing. Ford darted to Mabel’s side, both of them staring up as chaotic tear grew. Both Pines knew what was happening. 

Mabel pulled off her sweater instantly, tying it around her waist as she pulled her hair up in a ponytail. Stan ran from the crowd of fleeing people, the rest of the Wheel following behind him. “We saw the tear! What did you do this time, sixer?!” Stan shouted upon arrival, Wendy instantly growing concerned at the absence of Dipper. She supposed they would find him on their way.

“I didn’t do this! I swear it, Lee!” He shouted, seemingly still frazzled by Dipper’s disappearance.

“Dude, then what happened?” She asked, pointing at the sky itself. Unlike before, there was no Bill Cipher appearing to brag, rather just a rippling tear. 

 /(I)\

A week had passed. Nothing changed. The rift just hung in the sky, slowly knitting itself back up as if it were trying to no longer exist. The Wheel sat around the table, shoulders hunched as Ford and Stan slowly gave up hope on finding their adoptive son. 

A week had passed and Dipper hadn’t returned home.  

Robbie glanced out the window, braiding Mabel’s hair gingerly. How he knew how to braid was a secret he would rather withdraw. 

A dark figure darted past his view, too gangly to be natural. 

“There’s something heading towards the forest.” Robbie pointed out as Wendy gripped a hand tightly around her axe. The red-head glanced up from her cleaning, seemingly surprised by Robbie’s statement. Although nothing strange had occurred yet, she wasn’t taking any chances as she sharpened her blade.  

“Why don’t we check it out, it could be Dipper!” Mabel jerked from her spot, grabbing Stan hand as she began to beg. 

Slightly dejected, Stan nodded, the Wheel instantly getting on their feet.  

Mabel was the first one down the patio steps, her hair now tied in a ponytail again. The group silently walked through the forest, the only sound being the quiet hums of Mabel as she grew concerned about her brother’s safety and attempted to calm herself.

And then they heard it. Hundreds of voices speaking, child-like crying along with the babbling of hushed tones. As they neared an unfamiliar clearing, they saw it. Around a thousand still figures all circled around a single point, conversing with one another as they sat together.

Supernatural fireflies lit the entire area in a pastel glow. The figures looked almost human but weren’t. Tails, horns, wings, extra eyes and extra limbs made the gathering of creatures seem even stranger. 

Although, the strangest of all was the person they saw among them.

Dipper Pines glanced up from the young baby he was holding to see the group standing at the tree line of the clearing. Instantly, the crowd became hushed, silently turning towards the humans at the edge. Mothers shielded their children as fear sparked in almost every eye. Ford stood there, mouth agape as Mabel shouldered her way to the front of the group. “Dipper?” She called, almost begging for him to come. She had noticed that among the creatures was Buddy, the demon hovering by a group of creatures that held some back in chains. 

Demons, all these creatures were demons.

The tension seemingly melted the moment Dipper ran forward and grabbed his twin into a hug. “Oh non-existent Gods, I’m so sorry, Mabes.” He clung to her, soaking in the feeling of touch her and her warm embrace. 

“No no no! I’m sorry. It’s all my fault!” She sobbed out in reply, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks. There was a sudden feeling of warmth as Stan and Ford joining in the embrace, hugging their adoptive children they still referred to as great-nieces and great-nephews, crying out in relief. 

Mabel felt a small tug on her sweater sleeve. She glanced down to see one of the smaller demons looking up at her with wide eyes. Mabel instantly deduced that this was a young female, a child. The child held out her arms, pleading to be included. “Oh, come here!” She grabbed the child into a hug, cheers erupted from the crowd as more children scrambled to be embraced.

“FREEZE!” There was a loud and blaring shout as the clearing rumbled as cars rolled up. Thousands of US Government soldiers surrounded the clearing, a helicopter flying above as a bright spotlight was shone into the crowd. Instantly, children scrambled back to their parents, shivering as they hid. Mabel and the Wheel crouched down, shielding their ears before the loud noise the helicopter created. Among the chaos, Dipper stood still and rigid. Agents flew down from the helicopter, armed men raising their weapons. 

Dipper smirked before it fell into a slight frown. He knew that the weapons wouldn’t harm him but they could easily destroy the countless helpless children around them. The prisoners smirked at Dipper, Tad among them. “Put your hands on your head!” A soldier barked through a microphone. Slowly, Dipper raised his hands toward his skull. 

Mabel felt terror striking her insides as she watched a pair of agents walked towards Dipper, the crowd parting out of sheer trepidation for their safety. The agents radiated familiarity. “Agent Powers and Agent Trigger, what a pleasant surprise.” Dipper greeted, his smirk returning. 

Powers removed his sunglasses, staring in slight hate towards the teenager. “Mason Pines, you are under arrest for the crime of treason and for assisting in illegal immigration.” He declared, Trigger holding up a pair of handcuffs. 

“You’ve got the wrong person, officers! Dipper-” Mabel began to protest, the rest of the Wheel joining in. Then the crowd followed, drowning out the rest of Mabel’s words. 

“He didn’t do anything!” Stan blasted anger and protectiveness overwhelming his rational thoughts. The demons remained silent out of fright, a deeply buried fear of authority overriding their want to speak up. All except for Buddy who tried to burst through the crowd.

“Let him go!” Buddy screamed. He was tackled as he ran, tumbling to the ground as the prisoners he had been guarding bolted into the forest. “Are you fucking kidding me?!” Buddy screamed as the prisoners were rapidly detained by US Officers. “You idiots don’t-Mpf!” They had gagged Buddy to prevent his outbursts.  

Dipper lowered his head after watching it all, shaking it a little before glancing at his twin.  

“I have to do this, Mabel, it’s the only way.” He whispered it so finite, she could barely hear it despite being the closest to him. “I need to prevent the future.”

“What are you doing, kid?!” Stan shouted, being held back by Ford in fear the old man might retaliate with physical violence. The guns aimed at them were a reminder that they weren’t in control. The hundreds of demons looked on in alarm as the agents handcuffed their king, leading the teenager roughly through the crowd. Dipper glanced back at his family with one last determined look.  

Gideon and Robbie both stood there, mouths agape as Mabel clutched onto Wendy, sobbing. Ford and Soos were holding back Soos as McGucket just watched. Pacifica looked the most upset after Mabel. Tears running down her cheeks and ruining her makeup.

In a crowd of thousands, they watched as Dipper was arrested for crimes he didn’t commit. Yet one day, he’d be free. Dipper knew it was earlier than anyone expected.

In a crowd of thousands, they didn’t just witness the end, they witnessed the beginning.

* * *

 

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's all folks. The third one will be out... eventually.


End file.
